Bohol is best known for its Chocolate Hills, famed for how it’s brown in the summer, green in the rainy season, and now showing up a white chocolate filling after the earthquake.  Recently though, it seems Bohol is gunning to be known even with the word hills dropped, all thanks to one dreamer who made what seems to be an impossible dream possible.

During the PIA-sponsored Blogger’s Activity December of last year, Dalareich Polot of Dalareich Tableya and Chocoreich Café, tagged as the "Chocolate Princess", launched the Ginto Luxury Chocolate Line.  This came a little over a year after she won the Young Women Entrepreneur Bootcamp (YWEB) back in September of 2013 where she promised to a panel of esteemed female businesswomen and an ambassadress to create world-class chocolates from locally produced cacao for Bohol.

The opulent Ginto Chocolates. From Ginto Luxury Chocolates's Facebook page.

Ginto Chocolates is a luxurious line of pralines — filled chocolates — from locally-produced cocoa liquor (tableya) with authentic Filipino flavors.  More specifically, the Ginto Chocolates are artisan dark chocolates, which according to Dalareich, are what real chocolates really are.  These 75% dark chocolates are filled with local flavors — Calamansi, Ginger, Coffee — making the Ginto Chocolates a feast of Filipino flavors.

The Pilak collection is the less bitter alternative being 55-70% chocolate.  It is an assortment of dark and white chocolates and boosts a wide variety of fillings.  Pilak Collection comes in two lines.  There is the Praline Passion line with fillings ranging from the sweet Dulce de Leche (yema) of Rio chocolate and the explosive Chili and Cinnamon flavors of the Vulcan chocolate. Then there is the Luxurious Liquors line where the chocolates are filled with the flavors of local liquors like the strong flavor of authentic Filipino rum inside the Roja Chocolate and the familiar aftertaste of Filipino coconut wine once you take a bite of the Turquesa chocolate.

The Pilak Collection's Praline Passion line. From Ginto Luxury Chocolates Facebook page.

The stuffed flavors in the Ginto and Pilak collections provide a distinct but subtle aftertaste.  You mouth feasts on the flavors of both the dark chocolate and the filling.  The tastes do not overwhelm and do not linger, making you crave for another bite!

Then there is also the Tanso collection, the sweetest of them all. A line of compound chocolates, with cocoa powder instead cacao liquor as its mainzxcdcdffrgtgtgtrhtrghtghggfgh ingredient, Tanso is not praline but solid chocolates from all shapes and sizes and are usually made as giveaways.

Since it became available in the market, the Boholano-made luxury chocolates packaged in glossy gold boxes (ala gold bars) are consistently getting rave responses from both locals and foreigners.  Anyone — from local government officials, foreign dignitaries, tourists, and native Boholanos — who got the opportunity to take a bite of these opulent treat have been captured by the distinct yet familiar taste of Ginto.  The local luxury is slowly becoming available in many resorts and restaurants as well like Gelateria Milano, Bellevue Resort, and Amorita Resort.

The Ginto, Pilak, and Tanso lines displayed at Gelateria Milano. From Ginto Luxury Chocolates Facebook page.

Luxurious taste? YES! Luxurious price? Not really! The local treat that is Ginto can be enjoyed at only Php499.00 while the Pilak collection can be bought at Php349.00 per box.  The prices are very much reasonable and very much affordable compared to other luxury chocolate brands.  And the price remains the same even you buy it at Chocoreich Cafe at H. Grupo Street or in Gelateria Milano.

So whenever you need a chocolate fill to boost your day, stash the usual brands and try to take a bite of our proudly local artisan chocolates.  End the chocolate craving with Ginto Chocolates, a locally-produced product out from locally-grown ingredients but with such international standard and taste, Another sweet offering from the Island of the Chocolate Hills and definitely another reason why I, and you (should, too) behold the dream and creativity of the people of Bohol!