Dalariech Polot grew up helping her mother make and sell tablea (cocoa powder) to support their family of seven. Seeing the potential in the cocoa industry, she dreamed of opening her own chocolate factory. After winning a business competition, she took chocolate making courses in Belgium. Upon returning, she launched Ginto Chocolates, featuring luxury chocolates made from local ingredients like calamansi and coconut. Though she still aims to improve her equipment and quality, her chocolates are gaining attention from locals and tourists in Bohol. Dalariech's journey shows how pursuing one's dreams can lead from a small entrepreneurial effort to a successful business.

1. Chocolate: The New Gold
The typical Boholanobreakfastisneverwithoutthathot cup of chocolate or locallyknownas “sikwate”.
For a Boholanagirl who has knownsikwate since childhood, itisnot onlya morningroutine buta way to
make a living.
Dalariech Polot grew up making chocolate drink locally known as
“sikwate”duringherchildhood. Backthen,life wasdifficultforafamilyof
seven. Her father was a tricycle driver and her mother was a street
cleaner. To help augment their income, her mother started to make
tablea and sell it to sari-sari stores. She grew up witnessing hardwork
from her parents to sustain their family from a simple entrepreneurial
effort to a successful business venture.
But young dreamers chase their dreams like a child chases a butterfly -
relentless.
Seeingthe possibilitiesofthe tableaandthecocoaindustry, Dalariechdreamtof havingherownchocolate
factory and create the highest quality chocolates using local ingredients.
The chasingbeganwhen DTIendorsedhertojoin the 2013 YoungWomenEntrepreneurBootcampbythe
Samahan ng mga Pilipina para sa Reporma at Kaunlaran (Spark!) Philippines and the United States
Embassy. The Departmentof Trade &Industryhadbeeninstrumentalinthe preparationof businessplan
for her official entry. Among26 fellowswhojoinedinthe businessplancompetition,Dalareichemerged
as the Grand Winner of the First Young Women Entrepreneur BootCamp, raking in a swooping $5,000
prize.
A few months later, she bought her family a van. It was her first dream-come-true moment.
And it wasn’tthat long before the second one came. As theirtableabusinessstartedtoget bigger,
so was her dream. In 2014, she got into a month long chocolate making course at Ghent University in
Belgium. It was a full scholarshipwhere she didn’t have to pay a single centavo. For her it was the most
essential partinfulfillingherchocolate makingdream.She neededtolearnhow to make chocolateslike
a pro– nowhere else butinthe place where the
famous Belgian Choolates are made.
When she came back to the Philippines, she
immediatelytried toputeverythinginpractice.
There were a lot of challenges for her to start
with specially the climate conditions. Through
constant improvements, experimentation,she
was able to come up with high quality
chocolates from cocoa beans. She also made
product and development consultations with
the DTI’s in-house food technologist.

2. Dalariechisnowlivingherdream of runningherown
chocolate factory. Last year, she launched her line
of luxury chocolates made from raw cacao beans.
Ginto Chocolates are pralines that are filled with
original Filipinofillingslike: calamansi,coconut,milk,
mangoes, & coffee liquor.Alsoshe’sreleasingaline
of artisanal chocolateswitha hintof loca chili,mint
& coconut. The products are sold to resorts and
restaurants and are getting much attention from
foreigners.
Today, Ginto Chocolatescontinue tosoar and catch
the attention of both locals and tourists who visit
Bohol. Dalariech is still to complete her line of
equipment to give better quality to her chocolates but with so much hope that one day her chocolates
wouldsomedaybe atparwithotherluxurychocolatesinthe market. Whowouldhave thoughtthatfrom
hermother’stableasprunga huge dreamof producingthe finestlocal luxurychocolates –the new gold.