Our Story

Tatay Eyong and Nanay Lesing started the Buhay Pure Tablea business in the 1950s. In this photo they are seen as enjoying each other's company while Tatay Eyong serenade Nanay Lesing in their veranda.

Buhay Chocolate got its beginnings from the efforts of Emeterio "Tatay Eyong" Buhay and Gliceria "Nanay Lesing" Buhay in order to support their growing family in the 1950s. Back then it was called Buhay Pure Tablea, which is in intermediate chocolate product processed from cacao beans.

Back then, there were no easily accessible machineries in the province to produce chocolate, so the Buhay Pure Tablea was manually produced and handcrafted. Tatay Eyong went around the nearby cities and towns to sell the Buhay Pure Tablea in different stores while Nanay Lesing was hands-on in the operations and manufacturing.

Because of the best quality of product they produced, a lot of people fall in love with it and it started to become well-known.

Their customer base started to grow and people were bringing the Buhay Pure Tablea abroad - in Japan, USA and China.

Tatay Eyong and Nanay Lesing brought in friends and relatives to help them make the Buhay Pure Tablea so that they can meet the demand of their growing customer base. More and more people was looking for the Buhay Pure Tablea. It was because of the consistency and quality that Tatay Eyong and Nanay Lesing imposed on the products, that the people keep coming back.

For years, Buhay Pure Tablea became a staple product in making hot chocolate drinks and local "champorado" - chocolate rice.

After the super typhoon Haiyan hit Leyte in 2013, the production of Buhay Pure Tablea was halted.

Today, after almost 8 years of being in hiatus, we are bringing back our signature Buhay Pure Tablea. With modern techniques and machineries, we aim to bring the highest quality of chocolate so that people can enjoy it again.