Dauin Backyard Tablea Makers
Description
Small-scale backyard cacao and tablea producers in Dauin uplands. In Dauin, the dive town south of Dumaguete, better known underwater than above. Cacao here is backyard-scale rather than plantation — trees in house lots, beans dried on mats, then roasted, ground and pressed into tablea discs. Tablea is pure cacao with nothing added; it’s what sikwate and champorado are made from. Buy at the town market and ask for the local one rather than a commercial brand.
Tips
The roadside vegetable stalls between Dauin and Dumaguete are cheaper than either town"s market and worth stopping at on the way past. Access roads to the beachfront restaurants and brewery are rough and easy to miss from the highway — watch for small signs rather than expecting a clear turn.
Stops
Southern Uplands & Coastal Food Chain
How to get there
Jeepney or bus south from Dumaguete, around 30-40 minutes; tricycle for the last stretch to the resorts and roadside stalls.
Best Times
Early morning — markets, landings and roadside stalls all run hardest before 8am.