The Social Life of Cacao through Stories from Three Generations of Women

The cacao industry has a long history in the Philippines. From the time it was introduced to the Filipinos in 1670, it developed as a commercial plant around 1950, and until today, cacao has remained one of the booming industries in the Philippines. The paper aims to present cacao, as an important household staple especially in the Visayas region. More than a plant, it holds a lot of household stories: from being a delicacy to a story.  This paper presents the story of cacao from the perspective of three generations of cacao growers. The study utilizes the significance framework to analyze the narratives from three generations of cacao female farmers. Based on the narratives, the process of growing cacao, as well as the process of turning it into a table is an intangible heritage of its own. Furthermore, the cacao also has economic and social significance, as it is an innovative plant used as a staple ingredient to create various products, for selling. Based on the stories, cacao weaves family relations through sharing of delicacies and stories, such as The Legend of Maria Cacao. It is strengthened by the effort of the cultural bearers to pass this knowledge on cacao production from one generation to the other.