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| Drone Shot by Kampampangan Traveller |
Davao isn't just all about durian, Mt. Apo, and beaches—it’s also home to some of the country’s finest coffee and cacao farms. And last month, trndy.ph got a taste (literally) of the region’s rich coffee and chocolate culture through the Davao Coffee and Cacao Tour. The trip was made possible thanks to Cebu Pacific, DOT XI, Park Inn by Radisson Davao, and local tour operators and guides from Cybercribs Trips and Tours and Ces Travel & Tours.
Here’s everything we experienced in this two-day caffeine-and-cacao-fueled adventure.
☕ Day 1: The Coffee Crawl (July 23)
📍 Catigan, Toril, Davao
First stop: the lush mountains of Catigan, where we were warmly welcomed by the Bagobo Tagabawa Community at their Coffee Nursery Farm. Before getting our hands dirty, they said a little prayer—a beautiful gesture that set the tone for the immersion. We learned the basics of planting coffee seedlings, which, by the way, we had to do on the side of a mountain (hello, mini cardio workout). After the planting sesh, we chilled with the community over merienda.
📍 Coffee for Peace Training Center
Here, we learned that brewing a perfect cup of coffee isn’t as simple as grind-brew-sip. It involves careful harvesting, tedious processing, and precise roasting. Let's just say we'll never look at our ₱150 cup of coffee the same way again.
📍 Dubria Coffee Farm
Up next: meeting the legendary Marivic Dubria, known as the Coffee Queen of Davao. Her award-winning beans have reached tables across the country—and it’s not just hype. Marivic’s story is one of grit and grace. After years of hustle, she now mentors fellow farmers, proving that great coffee can build even greater communities. The farm sits at the base of Mount Apo, though the moody clouds that day played hard to get.
📍 Regional Coffee Innovation Center (RCIC)
A coffee museum? Count us in. Located at Davao del Sur State College, the RCIC is part museum, part coffee lab, and part café. It walks you through the entire journey of a coffee bean—from planting to tasting—and also serves as a hub for training and farmer support. Nerdy in the best way.
📍 Frog Kaffee Arena
This one's for the true-blue coffee geeks. As the OGs of Davao’s Third Wave Coffee movement, Frog Kaffee let us experience a crash course in cupping (a.k.a. how pros taste coffee), scent identification, and yes, we tried their charcoal-infused coffee and alcoholic coffee concoctions. It’s a café, a roastery, and a training hub all in one.
We ended the day with dinner at MarinaTuna—because what’s a day in Davao without seafood?
🍫 Day 2: The Cacao Journey (July 24)
📍 Belviz Farm
You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted freshly prepared sikwate made right at the farm. At Belviz Farm, we learned the basics of cacao farming and even toured their cacao-and-durian plantation. (Yes, we tried multiple kinds of durian. Yes, we caught them. Yes, it was wild.)
📍 Malagos Garden Resort
Home to the award-winning Malagos Chocolate, this stop gave us a hands-on tree-to-bar experience. We molded our own chocolate bars using the same cacao that put the Philippines on the global chocolate map.
📍 Cacao City & Cacao Culture Café
This is where you go to shop (and snack). We stocked up on everything from tablea to truffles. Pro tip: try their Nama Chocolate Truffles—they’re like the local, proudly Pinoy version of Royce. Ethically sourced, lovingly made, and yes, totally gift-worthy.
🍽️ Balik Bukid Farm & Kitchen
We ended the tour with a slow and soulful farm-to-table dinner, where every dish proudly repped Davao flavors. Think organic, homegrown, and utterly satisfying.
Final Thoughts
From scaling hills to plant coffee trees to molding our own bars of chocolate, this tour showed us just how much care and craft go into the flavors we often take for granted. So next time you sip your morning brew or unwrap a piece of chocolate, take a moment to thank the farmers and artisans who made it all possible.
Want to try the tour yourself? Cebu Pacific flies direct from Iloilo City to Davao City