When the pandemic halted his diving career, Nicolas Astarie, a 39-year-old Frenchman living in Valencia town, Negros Oriental, surfaced into a different kind of adventure — one that began not in the sea, but in the soil.
In his Valencia-based chocolate brand Nico’s Cacao, Astarie turns locally harvested beans into artisanal creations that marry French craftsmanship and Filipino soul.
“I’ve always loved dark chocolate,” he told Brigada News FM Philippines on Friday, October 17. “But I never really thought about how it was made — until the pandemic gave me time to slow down and discover it.”
Astarie arrived in the Philippines in 2018, but when the global lockdown stopped the scuba industry, he began searching for meaning beyond the waves.
He said that his wife’s aunt handed him several cacao pods from her backyard. Curious, he cracked them open, roasted the beans, and made his first batch of chocolate.
“That small moment was the beginning of everything,” he said.
Self-taught
He studied chocolate-making online, practiced in his kitchen, and learned through countless failures.
But soon, he realized that true chocolate craftsmanship begins on the farm. “I wanted to understand cacao at its roots,” he said. “That meant visiting farmers, learning their process, and seeing how it connects to flavor.”
Across Negros, Astarie met farmers who sold wet beans cheaply, often skipping fermentation just to survive. He saw potential instead of problems. “Instead of walking away, I worked with them,” he said.
“We built fermentation boxes using local materials, improved post-harvest quality, and paid fair prices for good beans.”
“We built trust, and that trust made better chocolate,” he added.
Astarie treats chocolate-making like fine French winemaking. “I approach it the same way as a Grand Cru wine from Saint-Émilion — respecting the terroir, understanding how fermentation shapes flavor, and guiding each step with patience and intention,” he said.
His chocolate bars feature local ingredients like calamansi, chili, and crafted sea salt, showcasing bold Filipino flavors.
Even the packaging tells a story. He worked with a local artist to design wrappers that highlight tourist landmarks in Valencia and Negros Oriental.
“We wanted each bar to be not just a taste of the Philippines, but a visual journey through its landscapes and culture,” he said. “It’s our way of honoring local artistry and promoting regional pride.”
Astarie combines the precision of French technique with the soul of Filipino cacao. “France taught me structure and discipline,” he said. “But Filipino cacao taught me emotion. It’s wild, tropical, and full of life. You don’t control it — you honor it.”
Each bar of Nico’s Cacao captures the essence of Negros — earthy, fruity, and vibrant. “When people taste it, they taste Negros,” he said. “They taste resilience, warmth, and generosity.”
Support local
Astarie said that he partners directly with to farmers to ensure fair pay and consistent buying. He promotes regenerative farming, where cacao grows alongside bananas, coconuts, and native hardwoods — a system that restores soil health and strengthens communities.
“Healthy soil grows better cacao,” he said. “When the land thrives, people thrive too.”
“I’d rather grow slowly and stay true to my values than take shortcuts,” he said. “Negros teaches patience. Everything good takes time,” he added.
When asked about future plans, Astarie doesn’t talk about awards or exports. He talks about pride — in craft, in people, and in place.
“For the people of Negros, I want our chocolate to prove that world-class craftsmanship can grow here,” he said. “Young people don’t have to leave the island to create something extraordinary.”
He dreams of rewriting the story of Filipino cacao, long treated as a raw export rather than a refined ingredient. “Our cacao deserves recognition,” he said. “It has its own identity — tropical, bold, and deeply human.”
“I want people to taste honesty,” he said. “To feel the farmers’ dedication, the spirit of the land, and the soul of the Philippines.”
As the scent of roasted cacao filled his small working area, Astarie looked over rows of chocolate bars. “In the end,” he said, “my legacy isn’t about how much chocolate I make. It’s about how many lives it touches — and how every bite reminds the world that beauty can grow even in the quietest places,” he said.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.