Welcome to Atbang's Blog
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How Pili trees help Atbang Farm® to celebrate the International Day of Forests
A walk in the woods ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
If something is not eating your plants, then your garden is not part of the ecosystem
Atbang goes to Glastonbury ----------------------------------------------------------------
Organic Soil --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tablea, sikwate, cacao vs cacoa, and a little temptation ------------------------------
Atbang Fine Chocolate being made -------------------------------------------------------
Budding Royalty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Water -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Art of the Label ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exhibitions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organic --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cost of cacao beans: "Cacao prices are going through the roof" -----------------
Asin Tibuok ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laptop vs Mobile -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honey. Bees. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outlets and Ordering --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aranchillo and Puyat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Full Moon -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atbang's Blog
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Full Moon
There are abundant myths about the full moon and how it affects human and werewolf behaviour. Some may have an element of truth, but it's safe to say myths remain myths until scientific proof is obtained. So, does anyone have any?
​The plant world, however, has been observed to behave according to the phases of the moon.
There is an excellent blog post from permacultureprinciples.com, called: tune-your-fork-a-moon-planting-guide that contains useful information about this fascinating subject.
The blog starts: "Over the centuries diverse cultures have observed that planting during certain phases of the moon has affected the germination and growth rate of plants."
So, if you're still here because you haven't read it yet, here is one piece of advice: during the Full Moon phase, it is advisable to sow or plant out root crops (it's all about sap).
A word of warning: If you go out at night to plant your root crops, watch out.
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Aranchillo and Puyat
No, not Real Madrid's latest strike pair, or a Filipino singing duo, Aranchillo and Puyat are durian varieties.
Pictured above: a trio of Puyat durian fresh from our farm. From the outside, the Aranchillo looks very similar, but has thinner, sharper thorns.
It's inside the formidable shell where the difference is seen, and tasted.
The flesh of the Aranchillo is whitish, whereas Puyat is yellowish. The difference in taste is a matter of opinion, but as rough guide, Puyat has the stronger taste, although it must be noted that all durian should be eaten while fresh. After a few days, the fruit takes on a more pungent flavour. Yo Ra, a professional food technologist of Bohol DTI says of our Puyat: "50% leche flan, 40% cottage cheese, 9% caramel and 1% sulfur".
Now, a couple of interesting facts. Only bats pollinate the durian flower, so the tree is most perfumed in the evening in order to attract them. Ripe durians only fall at dawn, when hopefully no one's around; at 3 kilos and covered with sharp spikes, it's not something you would want falling on you.
Something else that's notable, true at the time of writing: Atbang Farm produces the first and only organic certified durians grown in Bohol under PGS with Bohol Participatory Guarantee System Association (BPGSA) and Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS).
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Aranchillo and Puyat
No, not Real Madrid's latest strike pair, or a Filipino singing duo, Aranchillo and Puyat are durian varieties.
Pictured above: a trio of Puyat durian fresh from our farm. From the outside, the Aranchillo looks very similar, but has thinner, sharper thorns.
It's inside the formidable shell where the difference is seen, and tasted.
The flesh of the Aranchillo is whitish, whereas Puyat is yellowish. The difference in taste is a matter of opinion, but as rough guide, Puyat has the stronger taste, although it must be noted that all durian should be eaten while fresh. After a few days, the fruit takes on a more pungent flavour. Yo Ra, a professional food technologist of Bohol DTI says of our Puyat: "50% leche flan, 40% cottage cheese, 9% caramel and 1% sulfur".
Now, a couple of interesting facts. Only bats pollinate the durian flower, so the tree is most perfumed in the evening in order to attract them. Ripe durians only fall at dawn, when hopefully no one's around; at 3 kilos and covered with sharp spikes, it's not something you would want falling on you.
Something else that's notable, true at the time of writing: Atbang Farm produces the first and only organic certified durians grown in Bohol under PGS with Bohol Participatory Guarantee System Association (BPGSA) and Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS).
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Outlets and Ordering
We get orders that vary in size and scope from a few items to a boxful. This one, pictured here, is part of one of our largest orders, heading right now to Palawan. The items are, pictured front to back: Atbang Dark Milk, Atbang 85 Organic, Atbang 72 square boxes, Atbang 60 with Asin Tibuok, and 1 kilo packs of Atbang Tablea.
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The number of businesses displaying and selling our products is steadily increasing, and we now have outlets in popular locations in Bohol, and outside.
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There is a list of our Outlets on the Home page.
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Remember, if there isn't an outlet near you and you want to order, you can do so by using the Contact Us form on the Home page, or by contacting us on FaceBook.
There is a FaceBook link at the bottom of this page.
Orders can be collected from our processing site in Tagbilaran by prior arrangement, or at an agreed meeting place. If you order this way, the prices you pay are those stated on this site.
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Please also remember, we don't just sell Craft and Organic Chocolate. We have the purest Honey, the best Virgin Coconut Oil, and unique Cacao Tisane bags, all beautifully packaged.
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Honey. Bees.
Jars of Atbang's Wild, Raw 100% Honey pictured here, proudly standing to attention like a mini-Terracotta Army. Honey is our only product that doesn't have - and doesn't need - a Use by date; it's forever.
Did you know that Winnie-the-Pooh used honey as bait to trap a Heffalump? We do all know there is no honey without the bee.
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​The swarthy bee is a buccaneer,
A burly, velveted rover,
Who loves the booming wind in his ear
As he sails the seas of clover.
(By Bliss Carman)
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Here are a few quotations about bees that take a slightly different, off-beat view, like this insightful one by Victoria Coren Mitchell:
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"The key to nature's therapy is feeling like a tiny part of it, not a master over it. There's amazing pride in seeing a bee land on a flower you planted - but that's not your act of creation, it's your act of joining in."
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Yes, it is Pride. And Pleasure. Can we all agree?
How about this mind-bender by Mary Kay Ash:​
"Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway."
(Honey bees beat their wings 190 times per second).
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"If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive." Dale Carnegie.
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On a more sombre note, here are some facts to bring anyone down to earth: (Information provided by Greenpeace)
"70 out of the top 100 human food crops - which supply about 90% of the world's nutrition - are pollinated by bees."
So, you would naturally expect that humans would look after bees. After all, if the well-known quotation attributed to Einstein proved to be correct, humans would be in dire straits. The quotation can be looked up. A warning for those unfamiliar with it: it's depressing.
From Greenpeace on the decline of bees: "We know humans are largely responsible for the two most prominent causes: pesticides and habitat loss." We'll skip the latter for now.
Tragically, the chemical companies advocate no change in pesticide policy. "Selling poisons to the world's farmers is profitable."
Just think about that. And then decide whether organic farming is best, and why it's best.
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Laptop vs Mobile
​I have a question. Are you viewing this website on a laptop / PC or on your mobile phone?
There is a big difference.
The site, along with 99.9% of other websites, was designed on a laptop / PC using the landscape format. The text and images were balanced for maximum visual appeal using this format. In most cases (including this one) doing this took considerable time and effort. Now, the average 'surfer' - it seems such a dated term now - probably has very little knowledge about how websites find their way onto their mobile phone in portrait mode. As the designer of this site, I have to admit I also have limited knowledge about the process. All I can say is that the website application interprets the images and texts from the landscape mode and rearranges them as a list, which is basically what you get in the mobile view. I can also say that the application does not always make a very good job of doing this. I don't know about the actual logistics, but I think it's fair to say it cannot be called 'Artificial Intelligence'. In fact, the result can be a jumbled mess of text and images that has to be put back into some kind of logical order. It's not difficult to do this, but the inescapable fact is that the aesthetic design element of the original website is badly compromised when viewing it on a mobile phone.
In summary: if you are viewing this on your laptop / PC you are getting the real deal, but if you are viewing it on your mobile you are getting a diluted, compromised version. Yes, the basics are still there, but you are not seeing them as the designer intended.
As an aside here, I have tried to make the mobile version as visually appealing as it can be. But I'm not happy with it.
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Now, back to the original question.
If you have an answer, an opinion, or comment - positive or not - do let us know via the Contact Us form on the home page.
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To finish: in light of the above, 65-70% of people who view websites do so on their mobile phone.
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My reaction to that: aargh!
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Asin Tibuok
Our Atbang 60 bars with Asin Tibuok are in demand; there is a market for high quality dark chocolate sprinkled with star dust. Okay, it's not real star dust, but it is the rarest salt you can find on this planet, and not without justification.
This blog isn't the place for details about production techniques, but anyone interested should take a look at Asin Tibuok's website. (The manufacturer is Tan Inong Manufacturing, and the head of the company is pictured here with our General Manager / Owner).
And yes, the finished product does resemble a dinosaur egg.
Our chocolate-maker, Freya, says: "Applying a pinch of salt enhances the chocolate flavour by balancing sweetness and highlighting the rich, complex taste of the cacao. In addition when applying the salt on top of the chocolate, I grated it to have the exact amount of saltiness in each bite. This combination makes each bite more interesting and satisfying. Furthermore, salt can help to suppress any bitterness in dark chocolate, making it more palatable for those who might find it too intense."
Perfect. And that attention to detail sums up why our chocolate is so admired.
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Cost of cacao beans: "Cacao prices are going through the roof".
Whichever graph or chart you consult about the cost of cacao beans in 2024, the upwards trajectory is impossible to ignore. The y-axis for recent months resembles an ascent up the scariest of mountain slopes. Why is this? Obvious: because demand is greater than supply. There is a serious shortage of cacao beans. Worldwide.
Let's look at the reasons. 1. climate change (specifically drought). 2. disease. 3. labour issues / ageing trees. These apply especially in the West-African equatorial belt, which accounts - or accounted - for most of the world's cacao production, although this may be a thing of the past, unless climate change miraculously goes into reverse.
But let's concentrate on the Philippines, one of the few countries that lies within the narrow equatorial band that enjoys a climate conducive to the growing of cacao. Can we agree that drought hasn't yet hit the Philippines? Okay, let's focus on Bohol. (Davao is cited as the Philippines cacao-capital, but we won't dwell on that).
So, what are the local problems? It's fair to say Bohol-based Atbang Farm knows a thing or two on this subject.
1. Most farmers are smallholders with no specialist knowledge of cacao-growing, meaning farms devoted to cacao are not great in number. 2. Poverty. Even if the farmers have the knowledge, they have no capital to invest on infrastructure. 3. Cacao trees require TLC, and that means specialists are indispensible. 4. Pests, particularly the pod-borer (that's why you see pods encased in clear plastic bags).
Although the agricultural authorities - and experienced growers - are trying to overcome these problems, it is clear they cannot be resolved overnight, so in terms of supply and pricing the immediate outlook is not promising.
Now, time to brace yourselves. Yes, we mean you: lovers of real, couverture chocolate. You must accept that your passion will cost you more - probably a lot more. We hope you grit your teeth and stick around, but those who defect to mass-produced, compound chocolate will have to get used to the increased use of oil, and whatever cheap ingredients the manufacturers can use as a substitute for expensive cacao.
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Organic
Our certified Organic chocolate bars are now available. The smiley cacao pods used for this special batch were sourced entirely from Atbang Farm.
​nb: To qualify as organic, the cacao content must be at least 85%.
Please see our Fine Chocolate page for details of these bars, and our Organic 92g boxed bar.
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Exhibitions
We don't - as yet - have a shop for a permanent display of all our products. Instead, we make use of public, trade, and cultural exhibitions, where we have access to customers and potential business partners.
A lot of time and effort is spent transporting, arranging, and promoting our products. We think it's all worthwhile.
We hope you enjoy viewing this picture gallery, and meeting our hard-working staff.
A display of our products at Donatela Resort and Sanctuary, Tawala, Panglao, Bohol.
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The Art of the Label
Atbang Fine Chocolate believes its chocolate deserves the best label, and to this end no effort is spared, front and back. This is one of our new labels for the small Dark Milk bar, created and printed in-house.
The front is designed for style and impact and to be eye-catching (that doesn't mean a mish-mash of garish colours). It means having a brand design that reflects the quality of the product.
The back is purely for information, but it must be neat, legible, and attractive. The various elements are positioned and aligned to 0.01 of a centimetre. Precision is everything.
In case you were wondering, the white panel is the overlap, so there's no need to waste ink on it.
And yes, the label must be exactly the right size, designed so that the front and back are centred correctly when it's lovingly wrapped around the bar.
The Tablea labels you see in the video are different to the label above in that there is a separate front and back. These labels are printed on sticker paper, which is photo paper that needs to be peeled off its backing before being attached to the packaging.
You might also notice a few differences in content on the back label to the one above.
Included in this design is a Nutrition panel. This is a requirement after a product has been analysed in a laboratory.
Also present is a QR code, which smart phones can use to direct the viewer straight to this website.
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Please note that this label-cutting video is speeded up.
We would never recommend anyone use a sharp blade at such high speed.
One final point: yes, we do everything. Absolutely everything. We sow the cacao seeds, graft, grow the seedlings into trees, harvest the pods, ferment and dry the cacao beans, manufacture the chocolate, and produce the individual labels for our products.
By the way, we also eat some of the chocolate - purely for testing purposes, you understand.
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Water
The significance of water, or H2O, in terms of life cannot be understated. We depend on it. We die without it. Such is its importance that astronomers scrutinise the atmospheres of exoplanets for signs of it, knowing the significance of a finding would be huge. Water means life.
So, back on Earth, where extremes of weather seem to be the new norm, what does a farmer do when his / her source of water dries up? Despair? Give up? Praying for rain isn't a practical option, (although no one can claim prayers won't be granted.)
Our intrepid farmer went out on a search into unfamiliar parts. She didn't carry scientific instruments, or even a divining rod. The result was good: she found a natural source of water (and didn't fall into it - others would have done).
Yes, a great discovery.
But what if the water had been inaccessible? Or simply too far away? Or at a level that's too low to be usable without pumping? Hard luck.
Fortunately, this water source was usable, and the solution was to use piping - lots of it, plus connections, plus ingenuity in making use of gravity, where that was necessary.
As a postscript to this little success story, there has been rain, and the original water sources are back. Next time, however, things could be different.
Maybe the answer is to store as much water as possible when its abundant.
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Big
This cacao pod is the biggest one we have grown and harvested at Atbang Farm® (not that we're boasting about it, you understand). Anyone who Googles the usual size of cacao pods will read that the weight averages around 400 grams and the length ranges from 8 to 14 inches.
So, by normal standards our pod - weighing 1.2 kilos and measuring 12 inches in length - is in the heavyweight class. For the more technically minded, it is a Clone UIT 1.
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Atbang Farm Food Forest is certified organic. Being organic isn’t a trend, it’s a return to tradition, helping to make good things happen, like extra-large cacao pods.
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Budding Royalty
The Queen: the mangosteen is designated the 'Queen of fruits' after Queen Victoria offered a knighthood to anyone who could bring her a ripe one. The difficulty of transporting fruit from The Philippines to England a century and a half ago cannot be underestimated.
Here are flowering buds from Atbang Farm's mangosteen trees.
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The King: the durian is designated the 'King of fruits' because of its formidable appearance (think of a lion). We'll pass on the subject of its unique smell. Durians can be bigger than footballs, weigh up to 3 kilos, and are covered in a tough, thorny shell.
Fruit, or medieval weapon?
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The taste of durian is either love or hate, heaven or hell. Atbang Farm takes the heavenly option.
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In these videos, you are taken on a tour of our durian trees to get a close-up of buds and flowers.
Enjoy the beauty and the natural sounds while you anticipate the majestic fruit that will develop.
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Videos can be started and stopped by simply clicking on them.
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Atbang Fine Chocolate being made
Just watch and savour, while imagining the delectable aroma. The sound is the whirr and hum of the machinery.
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The technicalities:
Melanging (left, or first if viewing on a mobile): Melanging is the process of grinding and blending chocolate with its ingredients.
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Tempering (right, or second if viewing on a mobile): Tempering requires chocolate to be slowly heated and then cooled so that the fat molecules crystallise evenly, resulting in a smooth, shiny finish when the chocolate sets.
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Videos can be started and stopped by simply clicking on them.
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Tablea, sikwate, cacao vs cacoa, and a little temptation
Atbang Tablea is 100% pure cacao chocolate. We make it in two forms: as powder and as molded tablets (tablea is the Spanish word for tablet). Tablea is one of our top-selling products. It won an award as 'One of the Top 5 Best Tablea Drinks in The Philippines.'
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Sikwate is the drink made from tablea. Essentially, it’s tablea, hot water, and sugar, although it can also contain milk and/or cream. The sikwate pictured here is supplied by Green Thumb Farm, who serve hot and cold chocolate drinks made from Atbang tablea in their Al Fresco restaurant, and in their outlets at Panglao International Airport and Tagbilaran Seaport. They also display the Atbang Fine Chocolate range at their outlets. Green Thumb Farm can be found on Facebook.
Back on Atbang's home ground, here is a photo of a rather nice English teapot being used to pour our sikwate. Would you like a cup?
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Regarding cacao vs cacoa, please be aware that only cacao is the real deal. It’s pure and unadulterated. Cacoa isn’t; it’s refined and often contains extra ingredients.
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If you're not already convinced by cacao, here's a quote by author David Wolfe:
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"Cacao has the highest antioxidant concentration of any major food in the world. Cacao is thirty times higher in antioxidants than red wine, twenty times more potent in antioxidants than blueberries, three times higher than acai, and twice as much as chaga mushrooms. These antioxidants protect our cells from free radical damage and therefore contribute to our longevity and state of well-being."
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Are you sure you wouldn’t like a cup?
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Organic Soil
Warren Buffet is known for his financial acumen, but in the following two quotes, he shows he's no novice on the farm.
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"Soil is a living ecosystem, and is a farmer's most precious asset. A farmer's productive capacity is directly related to the health of his or her soil."
"There are more living organisms in a tablespoon of highly organic soil than there are people on the planet."
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Now, a question, not a quote. Let’s say the number of living organisms in soil contaminated by pesticides / chemical fertilisers (let’s ignore GMO for now) could be quantified as people. Where would those people fit? Yes, it’s speculation, and there can’t be a specific answer, but it’s amusing to guess. How about a small island? No. A football stadium? Still too big. A village or barangay hall? Smaller? Okay, we could go on until we get to a doormat, but there’s no need. Point made.
To end this brief paean to healthy soil, here’s a quote by British horticulturist Monty Don:
"By having a direct stake and involvement with the process of plants growing, of having your hands in the soil and tending it carefully and with love, your world and everyone's else's world too, becomes a better place."
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Atbang goes to Glastonbury
We are thrilled with our collaboration in the UK with RUHIYA, who serves Atbang 100 Ceremonial Grade Cacao drinks in her Sound healing sessions, her Holistic voice lessons, and her Healing power of Music sessions in Glastonbury, England.
Cacao is the food of the Gods; it’s healing power be with us, wherever we are.
Atbang Fine Chocolate. Single origin: Bohol, Philippines
Ruhiya's website:
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If something is not eating your plants, then your garden is not part of the ecosystem.
We, at Atbang Farm® are resolute in growing food the natural, organic way, and say no to chemical fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides. We make our own natural farm inputs sourced from our vicinity, fermented and decomposed by invisible creatures, otherwise known as indigenous microorganisms.
Mother Nature will take care of the pests.
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A walk in the woods.
Here are two close encounters with ripening cacao pods. Green and purple. Play the videos with the natural sounds on (music icon) to feel like you're there in person. Videos can be started and stopped by simply clicking on them.
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How Pili trees help Atbang Farm® to celebrate the International Day of Forests
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests in 2012 to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests.
Happy International Day of Forests!
This year's theme for International Day of Forests is Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World. The battle against deforestation requires new technological advancements. Forests, known as Earth's lungs, are vital for a balanced environment.
This is a fast growing Pili Nut tree (Canarium ovatum). Pili trees are deep rooted and like fertile, well-drained soil. Planted in our farm as windbreaks, and for nuts, Pilis grow to 20 meters in height. With dense foliage, they make an ideal home for forest creatures. We hope to see these trees flower and bear fruit in the near future. And of course, seeds eventually grow into a forest.
