Brought to the country by the Spaniards in the 18th century, cacao has found a fertile land to grow in the Philippines. Because of our strategic location near the equator, the plant flourished and cacao plantations can now be found in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
It is in the Davao region that local chocolatier Theo & Philo sources its cacao ingredients for the production of its best-selling chocolates in Manila. Most recently, it partnered with Tanduay to come up with the Theo, Philo & Tanduay—a chocolate bar made with 65% dark chocolate filled with house-made caramel and the much-lauded Tanduay Asian Rum Gold.
In 2018, Tanduay Asian Rum Gold received the Gold award from the International Review of Spirits, the Silver award from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and another Silver Award from the WSWA Tasting Competition. Prior to that, it received the Gold Medal from the Monde Selection, the 3-Star Superior Taste Ward from the International Taste & Quality Institute, the Gold award from the International Review of Spirits, Beverage Testing Institute—all in 2017.
“We continue to create innovative ways for people to enjoy rum. The collaboration between two award-winning brands — Tanduay and Theo & Philo – gives us a truly Filipino product we can be proud of,” said Paul Lim, Tanduay Distillers, Inc. chief marketing officer.
As the cacao used in making Theo, Philo & Tanduay is solely sourced in Davao, the sugarcane used for Tanduay Asian Rum Gold is sourced and harvested from Bacolod. All Tanduay products are also proudly Philippine-made. Theo, Philo & Tanduay is exclusively available at the Tanduay Store at Century Park Hotel in Malate, Manila.
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