A TOTAL of six metric tons of premium dried fermented cacao beans were shipped out to New Zealand from Panabo Port, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)- Davao del Norte announced on Tuesday.
“After more than a decade, the Province of Davao del Norte has officially marked its return to the international arena for premium dried fermented cacao beans,” DTI Davao del Norte said in a press release.
This ceremonial shipment is bannered by the Kapalong Cooperative, to Rautini Lmtd, a premium cacao bean trader based in New Zealand, operating primarily within the Asia-Pacific region to engage in offshore projects that improve farm returns and provide direct market access.
DA said Rautini’s partnership with the Kapalong Cooperative aims to connect local primary processors to New Zealand’s strict food safety and premium quality market standards.
“By capturing the taste of the international premium market, we aren’t just exporting beans—we are uplifting the livelihoods of our local farmers and solidifying Davao Del Norte’s status as a key player in the global cacao value chain,” the agency said in a statement.
Macario D. Gonzaga, PRDP project director and regional executive director of Department of Agriculture XI, said the international breakthrough was a long-term result of strategic networking.
”The seeds of this exact international linkage were sown during the National Cacao Congress in 2025. This shipment is a powerful testament to the cooperative’s slogan, ’empowering lives and communities,” Gonzaga said.
DA said the partnership was facilitated by public-private-cooperative collaboration.
Jerald S. Javison, Kapalong Cooperative value chain manager, lauded the PRDP I-REAP interventions for establishing sustainable market links that allow local cooperative members to access better livelihoods.
“Kapalong Cooperative is a major beneficiary and partner of the DA-PRDP, helping the organization transition from a struggling cooperative to a highly profitable entity,” Javison said.
In 2014, the cooperative received the P24.8-million Cacao Production and Beans Marketing Enterprise subproject from PRDP that includes production inputs, fermentation and drying facilities, and hauling trucks.
