Auro Chocolate was established in 2015 by Kelly Go and Mark Ocampo, with both partners well-travelled and studied in both the US and Europe.
The name Auro originated from ‘Au’ which is the scientific symbol of Gold and ‘Oro’ which means gold in the Filipino/Spanish language. In 2017, Auro was launched as a ‘tree-to-bar’ chocolate brand that supports sustainable programs for cocoa farmers in the Philippines, as it seeks to source for the finest cacao beans within the country for its products so as to meet international standards.
Auro Chocolates is now one of only 24 Filipino companies that are able to export to the EU tariff-free. From a small company of 20 workers, it has grown to 100 strong. As the Philippines is rarely known for its chocolates, Go and her team needs to do an extra mile to win trust of its customers and they also need to keep abreast of mandatory and procedural requirements to ship their products to the EU. At the same time, it also had support from the Export Marketing Bureau of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). In addition, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions helped the company in organizing country booths in key international trade fairs, such as Salon du Chocolat in France.
Auro sales have jumped 200% since the onset of the pandemic and it now exports to more than 15 countries with over 40 European chocolate makers using the company’s fine cacao beans to make Philippine-origin chocolate. Auro’s next step is to gain strong recognition for its chocolates from European chocolatiers so that it can compete globally with other well-known chocolate brands.
Auro also benefits from EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) that removes import duties from products of developing countries, making its products competitively priced against other brands. Go said, “Our chocolate bars are doing well due to the GSP+, which serves as a gateway support to the EU market.”
