A couple in Tanay, Rizal, both retirees from their respective jobs in the private sector, is seeing the continuing growth of the cacao industry in the province this year.
Romeo and Nancy Casco, who are both hands-on in their cacao farm located at Sitio Sampiro in Barangay Plaza Aldea, told Manila Bulletin during a recent farm tour in their place that they were optimistic that Tanay will soon become the center of cacao production in the province.
The farm, known as RNC Organic Farm, has some 3,500 cacao trees planted within the four-hectare agricultural space surrounded by other fruit-bearing trees and nestled in the cold, shady and sunny weather in Tanay’s mountainous terrain.
The Cascos both started their luck in the cacao industry in 2017 after being granted initial start-up implements and training from the Tanay Municipal Government and the Department of Agriculture.
Since then, the farm owners have been gathering other farmers from the town to share their knowledge and skills and later, the necessary piece of equipment for cacao production.
A training center is set to be opened within the RNC Farm to become a venue for cacao growers not only in Tanay but also those from other towns in Rizal.
The Casco couple’s hands-on approach in the production of “tablea”, the finish product made out of the cacao beans, is what makes the product special.
The very rigid process of the production of tablea starts from picking the right fruit that bears the cacao beans to a week of fermentation, to another week of drying, sorting, roasting, dehulling, and grinding for several hours.
After grinding, the cocoa will turn into a paste-like consistency that should undergo continuous and non-stop refining for eight hours.
The finished product, the “tablea”, is now ready for packing in an air-tight packaging to prevent moisture and other contaminants to come in, according to Mr. Casco who himself was manning the grinding machine when Manila Bulletin was conducting the interview.
Aside from getting an income out of the cacao production, Nancy and Romeo said they get their strength from their farm, where thousands of cacao trees grow, along with variety of citrus, guyabano and other high-valued crops.
For them, the green surrounding, coupled with the sound of nature -- the chirping of birds and insects and the wind blowing the leaves of the trees in their sprawling farm in Tanay, Rizal -- is a perfect place to spend their retirement years.
The couple, who lives in Cainta, Rizal, spends more time in the farm when they have to meet some orders, usually during weekends.
The Casco couple said their vision is also to see their fellow cacao farmers become successful in their livelihood and that the town and the province be known in the cacao industry.
Romeo said the Department of Agriculture (DA), through its Agricultural Program Coordinating Office (APCO), first provided them training before they were given free cacao seedlings and fertilizers.
Nancy, who is the president of Rizal Cacao Growers Industry Development Council and the Cacao Growers Association of Tanay, said that with the help of other co-cacao farmers, the local government and the national agencies, their vision of making Tanay the center of cacao industry would eventually come true.
(Romeo Casco (extreme right), poses for a photo with Manila Bulletin reporter, Nel Andrade (third from right) and companions, during a visit at RNC Organic Farm in Tanay, Rizal)
The Cascos, at present, are encouraging other small cacao farmers who have no proper equipment to sell their cacao to RNC in order to help the other farmers in solving the difficulty of sustaining the cacao production because of the high cost in manufacturing the valued crops.
The couple said they are grateful to Tanay Mayor Rafael “Lito” Tanjuatco, the town’s Agriculture Office chief, Romeo Cruz, and the DA for extending their cacao farming and production assistance not only to RNC Farm but also to other cacao farmers in the town.
A 125 gram-pack of the Casco’s tablea sells from P190 to P250 depending on the purity of the cacao.
The Casco’s tableas have reached the United States and other parts of the world through their friends and some local tourists who visit the farm.
(RNC Organic Farm owner, Nancy Casco with the finished products from her cacao farm - Photo by Nel Andrade)