PH Consulate General in Vancouver Showcases Philippine Coffee, Chocolate
PHOTO: Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver Consul Arlene T. Magno welcomes the guests to the Kape at Tsokolate event held at Nemesis Coffee on 31 May 2019, which was organized by the Consulate General , in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, through the office of the Agriculture Attaché at the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C., Kape and Kasama Chocolate.
The event aimed to create an awareness in Vancouver of the coffee and chocolate industry in the Philippines while at the same time supporting two local coffee and chocolate businesses founded and owned by Filipinos, using beans sourced directly from the Philippines but roasted and crafted in Vancouver. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Kasama Chocolate co-founcer Vincent Garcia shows where they source their cacao beans from the Philippines. Kasama chocolate is a multicultural group of friends from Vancouver who met several years ago playing roller hockey on the North Shore and discovered that they share a common passion in chocolates. They are based in East Vancouver and their chocolate is made directly from the cacao beans. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Kape founder Iona Fresnoza shares her story of promoting ethnically-sourced, farmer-first, direct trade coffee. Before coming to Canada in 2015, she had actively worked with coffee farming communities in the Philippines for over 16 years through Coffee Assistance for Indigenous Development, a non-profit she co-founded. Kape’s coffee is sourced from Benguet and Davao. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Filipino-Canadian chef Mark Singson describes the food pairings he created for the coffee and chocolate tasting. Mr. Singson is the owner of Fam Inc., which specializes in creating unique pop-ups and private dining experiences. He is also the Top Chef Canada season 6 runner up. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Malagos Agri-Ventures Corp's Ed Puentespina talks about their international award-winning chocolates. The company started their cacao farm – Puentespina Farm – in 2003, and it has recently been given the designation of Heirloom cacao. Puentespina Farm is only the 16th in the world to be given this honor and the first in the Philippines. Mr. Puentespina is based in Winnipeg and travelled to Vancouver to join the Kape at Tsokolate event. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Guests go around four pairing stations to taste the chocolates and paired with food. (Vancouver PCG photo)
Consul Arlene T. Magno poses with Kape at Tsokolate co-organizers and exhibitors, namely Ed Puentespina of Malagos Chocolate (leftmost), Chef Mark Singson (2nd from left), Kape owner Iona Fresnoza (3rd from right, front row), chocolate sommelier Geoseph Domenichiello (2nd from right), and Kasama Chocolate founders Vincent Garcia (rightmost), Dominik Voser (center, back row) and Estefan Klopp (rightmost, back row). La Glace owner Mark Tagulao (leftmost, back row) generously donated his ice cream to pair with Malagos’ 100% unsweetened chocolate to make tablea ice cream. La Glace is an ice cream parlor serving French artisanal ice cream where Mark incorporates ingredients like kalamansi, ube and pandan to create a Filipino flair. (Vancouver PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.vancouverpcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.vancouverpcg.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHinVancouver.