Cebu artisanal chocolate firm eyes overseas expansion
CEBU’S The Chocolate Chamber (TCC) is now eyeing to expand overseas to take advantage of the opportunities abroad and elevate the global status of Philippine chocolate making.
Company founder and owner Raquel Choa, who is a staunch advocate of cacao farming in the Philippines, said TCC is on an aggressive expansion to take advantage of opportunities as the economy continues to reopen.
She made the statement following the opening of their TCC Lounge at the Nustar Resort and Casino, which soft-opened on Sunday, May 8, 2022.
“TCC is also now eyeing expanding overseas, as part of its long-term goal to introduce the Philippines’ brand in the chocolate-making industry,” Choa said, citing Guam and Manhattan in the US as potential sites.
Choa has expressed optimism toward economic recovery in Cebu, saying that the opening of Nustar will definitely attract foreign tourists and local visitors alike as borders are now open.
TCC is one of the few homegrown brands to be in this new integrated development for a strip pop-up shop for six months while waiting for the construction of its permanent space at Level 2 of The Mall-Nustar.
Choa said their latest expansion is aligned with her dream of telling the whole world that Filipinos exist in the world of chocolate with its own identity.
“Nustar will be home to some of the biggest and most famous global brands. So, being a Cebuano brand, a homegrown company to be in Nustar is truly a huge pride for us,” Choa said.
TCC brings the cacao creations of Choa to introduce Cebu’s rich heritage in chocolate-making to both tourists and locals.
Last March, the artisanal chocolate brand marked its first-ever expansion outside of Cebu, with the opening of its newest boutique on the tourist island of Panglao in Bohol.
Choa, who is a tablea-maker and an artist with chocolate as her medium, is on a continued mission of bringing Cebu’s chocolate-making tradition to the rest of the Philippines and the world.