Manila Chocolatier is the fruit of my passion and love for my Philippines. When I moved out of the country and found myself making a second home in a foreign land, I began to fully appreciate what it was really like to be a Filipino.

Time was when people went crazy over imported chocolates, thinking that they are the best in the world and no local chocolate could ever come close. Now, people are gushing over fine local chocolates, finally seeing the light and rightfully believing that Filipino chocolates can compare with some of the best in the world.

The Filipino chocolate has come full circle.

And while imported brands of chocolate pralines and truffles are available only through dedicated kiosks in select high-end malls, a brand of quality local chocolates is changing the game by making itself available in a chain of shops to promote purely Filipino products.

THE different flavors that best represent being Filipino.

FRUIT of passion and love for the Philippines.

Manila Chocolatier, which makes some of the finest and most delightful world-class chocolate pralines and bars that boast of authentic Filipino flavors, is now available at Kultura. Everyone can now bask in a taste of history and herald the beginning of a sweet tradition.

“Our chocolates take you on a special journey. It’s a journey that starts with your first bite,” declares Manila Chocolatier’s Raul Matias.

Ironically, Matias himself had to embark on a journey overseas before his love for all things Filipino prompted him to come back home and start a business that would glorify this amiable passion.

He says: “Manila Chocolatier is the fruit of my passion and love for my Philippines. When I moved out of the country and found myself making a second home in a foreign land, I began to fully appreciate what it was really like to be a Filipino and how we can excel in something if we only put all our heart and soul into it.”

As Matias worked in a foreign land to make a living, images of the Philippines as he knew it kept him company — idyllic afternoons in the farm and carabaos toiling the rice fields, women glowing in their graceful ternos and men dashing in their barong Tagalogs, the deafening sound of Philippine jeepneys blowing their horn as they lorded it over the streets of Manila, the enchanting lights of the metro, the perfect sunsets and lazy days.

“Most of all, I missed the way my countrymen would smile not just with their lips but also with their eyes — smiles that genuinely come from the heart,” says Matias, who ingeniously translated all those images into chocolate flavors and designs for his Manila Chocolatier line.

Once he decided to produce the best Filipino chocolate products that he could create, Matias embarked on yet another journey — this time, to find world-class cocoa beans in the Philippines, which he found in select farms in the Davao region after his journey took him to the Southern part of the Philippines.

“We use only the best cocoa beans, the same beans exported to Europe and used by world-class European chocolate companies. These cocoa beans are ground to silky perfection, only when needed, using the same facilities where Manila Chocolatier’s products are processed, thus assuring the freshness and quality of the chocolates,” he enthuses.

The main products of Manila Chocolatier are mouthwatering chocolate pralines that give you a taste of the sublime flavors of the Philippine islands in smooth, dreamy white, milk and dark chocolates. The flavors are represented by the colored Filipino images or designs “painted” on to the surface of each praline: Banana Cue (bahay-kubo), Barako Coffee (man in barong Tagalog), Palawan Honey (woman in terno), Pili Nut (Dr. Jose Rizal), Muscovado Nougat (Darna, the Filipina superhero), Bukayo (bird), Buko Pandan (tamaraw), Kalamansi (a green tree beside a rice field), Jasmine Tea (two pink sampaguita flowers), Lambanog (two yellow trees), Panotsa Caramel (jeepney), Mango (three stars and a sun), Leche Flan (caritela), Salabat (Philippine parol) and Ube (Philippine map). If you buy a box, it comes with a design-flavor guide.

The brand is also very proud of its chocolate bars, with white chocolate represented by Calamansi and Ube bars, milk chocolate represented by the Mango bar, and dark chocolate represented by Pili Nut, Barako Coffee and Coconut bars.

Why more dark chocolate bars? It is because more people want dark chocolate nowadays, since dark chocolate has a positive effect on the body and mind.

By now, it must be obvious that Manila Chocolatier is named after the capital city of the Philippines and thus serves as a tribute to “what was, what is and what will always be one of the most beautiful cities in the world — Manila. It is a melting pot of the country’s diverse culture, language and flavors.”

Manila Chocolatier’s pralines and bars are now available at the Chocolate Gallery of select Kultura branches, making them very accessible to chocolate lovers who love Filipino flavors.