8.8 Chocolate Festival

The 8.8 Chocolate Festival is an inaugural month-long event organized by Cacao Culture, a Philippine chocolate maker, to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Primarily based in Davao City, where Cacao Culture opened its first physical chocolate shop and cafe, the festival runs from August 1 to 31, with a specific focus and kickoff on August 8. The event seeks to boost consumer interest in locally made chocolate and serves as a platform for various cacao growers and chocolate makers from the Philippines.

Attendees can expect a range of activities and promotions, including in-store freebies and complimentary hot chocolate for the first 88 customers at each Cacao Culture branch. Nationwide online and in-store discounts are also offered from August 7 to 9. The festival showcases Cacao Culture's own products alongside those from other notable Philippine chocolate brands such as Auro Chocolate, Malagos Chocolate, Nutrarich, Cacao De Celo, Coscao Chocolate, and 1919 Chocolate. The Cacao Culture cafe provides experiences through chocolate-infused beverages, pastries, confections, desserts, meals, and guided tasting sessions.

Cacao Culture, founded in 2016, aims to establish August 8 as an annual occasion for consumers to discover and appreciate Philippine chocolate products and makers. This festival represents an expansion of their role in the local chocolate industry, evolving from growers and makers to curators and platforms for the broader Philippine chocolate community.