Christian Valdes

Master Chocolatier

Christian Valdes founded CMV Txokolat in 2012 as a bean-to-bar chocolate brand that greatly incorporates Filipino cacao and local flavors. Some of his unique creations include Pomelo Dark Chocolate Bar, Mango and Roasted Cashew Milk Chocolate Bar, and pralines in flavors Gumamela, Binondo, Kaffir Lime and Coconut, and more.

Christian grew up in San Francisco, California and moved to the Philippines in 2010. He studied hospitality management at Enderun Colleges and later trained in France under chocolatier Chloe Doutre, one of the world’s best chocolate makers. He holds Level 1 and Level 2 accreditations from the International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting (IICCT), qualifying him as a certified cacao bean grader and taster.

In addition to running CMV Txokolat, Valdes has collaborated with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on projects assessing cacao-growing regions such as Kalinga and teaching farmers quality standards for fermentation and bean grading. He also supports farming communities by conducting workshops on tablea production and cacao evaluation.

His work has been featured in BusinessWorld, Philippine Star, and Rustan’s Iconic Magazine, where his products are sold as part of Rustan’s curated chocolate selections. He continues to advocate for Philippine cacao through both his company and partnerships with institutions focused on strengthening the local chocolate industry.