From Cacao Trees to Chocolate: My Brother’s Dream in the Highlands of Bagumbayan

Hello everyone!
In the highlands of Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat, my brother started with a simple dream to grow cacao and make something meaningful from the land.

His journey began with planting and taking care of cacao trees. Like any farmer, he learned that growing cacao needs patience, hard work, motivation and proper care. The trees need attention from planting until they start bearing fruits. Every cacao pod is a result of many months of waiting, caring, and hoping for a good harvest.

But my brother’s dream is not only about harvesting cacao.
He dreams of something bigger. He wants to become the first chocolate maker in our place, using cacao that is grown by farmers in our own community. For him, cacao is not only a crop. It is an opportunity to create something that can bring pride to our highlands and inspire other farmers to take better care of their cacao trees.

Today, we are slowly turning that dream into reality.

After the cacao pods are harvested, the beans go through fermentation, where they develop the flavors that will later become part of good chocolate. After fermentation, the beans need proper drying. We learned from our previous experience that drying is very important, so this time, we are improving our drying facility to make sure we do not repeat the same shortfall.

It is not always easy. There are many things to learn, from harvesting and fermentation to drying, roasting, grinding, and making chocolate. But every batch teaches us something new.
What makes this journey more special is that my brother is not doing it alone. Other highland cacao farmers in Bagumbayan are also trusting him with their small but quality harvests. Their cacao becomes part of this dream, and their trust gives us more reason to continue.

As his sister, I feel proud watching him build this dream step by step. From planting small cacao trees to processing beans and creating cacao and chocolate products, I can see that this is more than a farming project. It is a dream to create something from our own soil and share the goodness of our community with others.

Maybe someday, when people enjoy a chocolate made from cacao in our place, they will know that behind every piece is a farmer, a family, and a dream that started in the highlands of Bagumbayan.
From the highlands of Bagumbayan, proudly Sultan Kudarat, this is our cacao story, and our chocolate journey is only beginning.

Thank you for reading my story. The lead photo was edited in Canva.

Have a nice day!💛