The Bakers Dark Chocolate Gift Box

Mindanao is the southernmost main island in the Philippines group, just inside the “Goldilocks zone” 10 degrees either side of the equator. It is Firetree’s only cocoa origin North of the Equator. The cocoa we buy directly from our farmer grows on the slopes between Mount Apo and Davao city in the fertile tropical rainforest-like conditions.

As commercial cocoa is relatively recent in the Philippines, it is still made up of multi-crop small holders where they grow cocoa alongside a whole host of crops, mainly for the local market – think pineapple, coconut, and yams. There are more cooperatives in the Philippines as each farmer doesn’t produce enough beans to build a fermentary.