It all started with a Filipino and Belgian union. I married the love of my life, Matthias, after a full year of being digital nomads. As we settled in Belgium, my brain restlessly squeezed-out e-commerce ideas to launch. The little cacao dream came at random one day, during a conversation about chocolate. It struck me that Matthi (and maybe most Belgians) have not yet heard of tableya. It's a hot chocolate drink loved by many Filipinos, including myself. It’s also a cocoa mass with cocoa liquor made from beans that are fermented, dried, roasted, ground, and then moulded into blocks, balls, discs, or tablets.
I searched online and found only a few resources about our native tsokolate, most of them circulating within Filipino publications and audiences. I dreamed up the possibility of bridging traditions that celebrated one's roots. One part from my heritage, the other, from my new home. Whilst all great things start with a dream, ours started with a bean. That's how the world's first Belgian tableya came to be!
We are all about celebrating one’s roots, and we believe in the richness brought about by cross-cultural experiences. Thus, our name was inspired by the plant’s scientific name itself: Theobroma Cacao. We craft for those who are proud of their heritage, and those who give reverence to their traditions.
Each round of Belgian tableya comes from small, select batches of beans, handcrafted with Belgian chocolate-making expertise. We want artisanal expertise to flourish during the making of each round, which prioritizes specialty over speed. From sourcing to scale, this is what gives the supreme value to a bean-to-round product, like our Belgian tableya. Sustainable cacao farming is a big thing for us, and so we pay farmers a premium price for high-quality beans. We believe this strongly impacts their livelihood and allows them to further improve results for fine cacao production.