14 March 2016 – Celebrated Cebu-based artisanal chocolate boutique founder and purveyor of fine tablea-based chocolate products Ms. Raquel T. Choa visited Guam for the first time with a mission to introduce and elevate as a premium product the “tablea”, which is 100% Philippine chocolate produced from cacao beans. Consul General Marciano R. de Borja welcomed Ms. Choa, the entrepreneur and founder behind Ralfe Gourmet, The Chocolate Chamber, and Casa de Cacao, together with her business team and family. Ms. Choa was invited to keynote the Consulate General’s commemoration of International Women’s Day and National Women’s Month held on March 11, in cooperation with the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

The Philippine Consulate General coordinated Ms. Choa’s visit with Guam Community College (GCC) where she was welcomed by Dr. Mary A.Y. Okada, President of GCC, and Dr. R. Ray Somera, Vice President for Academic Affairs. Ms. Choa demonstrated the art of making her tablea concoctions before faculty and students of GCC’s culinary arts program. Those in the audience were also able to sample some of TCC’s products.

In her presentation, Ms. Choa shared her experiences growing up in poverty in a small mountain village in the province of Cebu, and working her way through her early hardships to become a successful entrepreneur now widely known as the Chocolate Queen of the Philippines.

From her humble beginnings, Ms. Choa established herself as one of the most successful and celebrated entrepreneurs in the country today. She encouraged the audience to nurture their entrepreneurial aspirations despite the odds. END