The World Bank implementation support mission team visited the Luisiana Tablea Factory enterprise subproject in Brgy. San Jose, Luisiana, Laguna. The Php 8.5-M-subproject seeks to develop the cacao industry in Luisiana by enabling its proponent group, the Luisiana Cacao Grower Producer’s Cooperative (LCGPC), to add value to their harvested cacao through processing and marketing at a larger scale.

The subproject consists of two cacao processing facilities and processing equipment. Through these, the LCGPC significantly increased their production volume from barely 50 boxes a month to 100 boxes monthly on average. They were also able to elevate the quality of their product, which resulted in increased annual sales from Php 65,000 to Php 1.4 M and the influx of new customers from various parts of Laguna.

“Dati ang cacao ay ginagawa lang tablea kapag may fiesta o okasyon. Ngayon, mas malakas na ng gawaan ng tablea dito maging ang pagtatanim ng cacao dahil ito ay naging negosyo at kilalang produkto na dito sa Luisiana,” shared Pedrito Mergilla, chairman of the LCGPC.

For additional income, LCPGPC members are exploring other products that can be derived from cacao, like briquettes and wine. They are also applying for a license from the Food and Drug Authority with the help of the DA-PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office – CALABARZON and DOST-CALABARZON.

Food and Agriculture Organization Agribusiness Expert Cora Dankers and World Bank Economist Luningning Bondoc shared that the cacao industry in Luisiana has great potential to grow exponentially with the enterprise and the strong partnership of the LCGPC, the LGU, and local farmers. They urged the LGCPC to continue pursuing their FDA application and improving the quality of their products, as these will open more doors to sell their product at a larger scale. 

The LCGPC and the LGU expressed their gratefulness to the World Bank and their commitment to further strengthen their enterprise. #