Competition is often stifled by the presence of titans in the industry, and small enterprises cannot keep up with the machinery of the big ones. This notion is being challenged by a Maranaw woman who is defying the status quo in the chocolate industry, or cacao sector to be more precise.
Ms. Sittie Aisha Balt, a native of Bayang, Lanao del Sur, is raising the bar as the pioneer chocolatier of the province of Lanao del Sur is producing under a brand locally known as โKakaw Meranawโ.
The European Union (EU)-funded BAEP CRESCENT project implemented by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) is giving full support to Ms. Balt as a woman cacao entrepreneur and to Kakaw Meranaw as a women-led enterprise. This project is part of the EUโs long-term support to building lasting peace and promoting inclusive development in the BARMM under the larger Bangsamoro Agri-Enterprise Programme (Php 1.23 billion)
Located in Bayang, Lanao del Sur, the cacao farms of the Balt family have raised the bar for cacao production and veered away from just making tablets, innovating into chocolate products that are getting some attention. From the farms of Kamapiyaan Sa Tagoranao Marketing Cooperative, Kakaw Meranaw, is Sittie Baltโs brainchild and fully-owned enterprise created to add value and innovation to the cacao farms of their Cooperative. It was born with a mission to be the local pioneer chocolate brand aiming for the bigger and growing market of chocolate.
The products of Kakaw Meranaw are uniquely BARMM. They created chocolate bars with local flavors – Binaning (mixed with turmeric), Palapa (Maranaw staple condiment) and coffee-infused chocolate bars aside from the usual dark and milk chocolates.
Kakaw Meranaw provides opportunities to cacao farmers by engaging them in its value chain given the rising demand for cacao and chocolate which has skyrocketed over the past few years. The EU BAEP-CRESCENT Project continuously provides business and technical support to increase Kakaw Meranawโs competitiveness. Asked about the projectโs impact, Ms. Balt expressed, โI am happy that ECCP is there to help improve my business and the learnings Iโm still grasping. The journey is really hard for a startup like ours with limited finances. ECCP has provided me guidance that is more valuable than just financing because I can journey through these challenges with supporters like them. It is a good thing that ECCP and EU are here with us now that we are trying to build up the cacao industry in BARMMโ.
The journey has been truly rewarding for Kakaw Meranaw as it won the prestigious 3rd Agency for 
Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA) Paris 2023 Medal in the Gourmet Chocolate of Local Origin in Paris, France last year. They won this rare award for the variant of Binaning or Turmeric-flavored chocolate bar and the Palapa flavored bar – exhibiting the exceptional quality and one-of-a-kind flavor that sets it apart.
Ms. Balt remarked โAs a woman, it clearly gives me confidence knowing that this award has brought so many good things about what I do. Actually, more and more enablers like EU & ECCP are assisting Kakaw Meranaw to carry out the things that will empower me to leverage and increase my capacity to deliver more quality chocolate bars to my community.โ
Truly, chocolates have revealed a path for changing lives for the better and Kakaw Meranaw is a testament that despite the challenges, BARMM entrepreneurs, especially women, can succeed if they have the will and determination to make it happen.
Ms. Sittie Aisha Balt, a native of Bayang, Lanao del Sur, is raising the bar as the pioneer chocolatier of the province of Lanao del Sur is producing under a brand locally known as โKakaw Meranawโ.
The European Union (EU)-funded BAEP CRESCENT project implemented by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) is giving full support to Ms. Balt as a woman cacao entrepreneur and to Kakaw Meranaw as a women-led enterprise. This project is part of the EUโs long-term support to building lasting peace and promoting inclusive development in the BARMM under the larger Bangsamoro Agri-Enterprise Programme (Php 1.23 billion)
Located in Bayang, Lanao del Sur, the cacao farms of the Balt family have raised the bar for cacao production and veered away from just making tablets, innovating into chocolate products that are getting some attention. From the farms of Kamapiyaan Sa Tagoranao Marketing Cooperative, Kakaw Meranaw, is Sittie Baltโs brainchild and fully-owned enterprise created to add value and innovation to the cacao farms of their Cooperative. It was born with a mission to be the local pioneer chocolate brand aiming for the bigger and growing market of chocolate.
The products of Kakaw Meranaw are uniquely BARMM. They created chocolate bars with local flavors – Binaning (mixed with turmeric), Palapa (Maranaw staple condiment) and coffee-infused chocolate bars aside from the usual dark and milk chocolates.
Kakaw Meranaw provides opportunities to cacao farmers by engaging them in its value chain given the rising demand for cacao and chocolate which has skyrocketed over the past few years. The EU BAEP-CRESCENT Project continuously provides business and technical support to increase Kakaw Meranawโs competitiveness. Asked about the projectโs impact, Ms. Balt expressed, โI am happy that ECCP is there to help improve my business and the learnings Iโm still grasping. The journey is really hard for a startup like ours with limited finances. ECCP has provided me guidance that is more valuable than just financing because I can journey through these challenges with supporters like them. It is a good thing that ECCP and EU are here with us now that we are trying to build up the cacao industry in BARMMโ.
The journey has been truly rewarding for Kakaw Meranaw as it won the prestigious 3rd Agency for Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA) Paris 2023 Medal in the Gourmet Chocolate of Local Origin in Paris, France last year. They won this rare award for the variant of Binaning or Turmeric-flavored chocolate bar and the Palapa flavored bar – exhibiting the exceptional quality and one-of-a-kind flavor that sets it apart.
Ms. Balt remarked โAs a woman, it clearly gives me confidence knowing that this award has brought so many good things about what I do. Actually, more and more enablers like EU & ECCP are assisting Kakaw Meranaw to carry out the things that will empower me to leverage and increase my capacity to deliver more quality chocolate bars to my community.โ
Truly, chocolates have revealed a path for changing lives for the better and Kakaw Meranaw is a testament that despite the challenges, BARMM entrepreneurs, especially women, can succeed if they have the will and determination to make it happen.
Article contributed by Cyril Jerome โJakeโ B. Almanzor, Senior Project Officer of the EU Bangsamoro Agri Enterprise Program (BAEP) funded Creating REsponsible Sustainable and Competitive ENTerprises (CRESCENT) in the BARMM agribusiness sector project
