By Madelaine B. Miraflor Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. (BAVI), the owner of Chooks-to-Go, started selling live chicken in some of its rolling stores to cater to more people. BAVI president Ronald Mascariñas said the move is “about serving Filipinos who do not have access to electricity or don't have refrigerators at home,” but the company also saw a surprising increase in a new market – kids. "After doing a study, which we did at home since we were under the ECQ then, it showed that the only logical and safe solution is to sell live chicken as well," Mascariñas said. “This was unheard of in the rolling store industry as it literally takes a product from farm to home,” he added. Prior to this move, BAVI only sells ready-to-eat meals through Chooks-to-Go and Uling Roasters stores. It also sells Bounty Fresh, Virginia, and Holly Farms products. Selling at P85 to P90 per kilo of live chicken, which is antibiotic-free, has been well-received by customers. "It's an untapped market," Mascariñas said. "Even we are shocked by the numbers." What Mascariñas and his team did not expect was an additional wave of new customers, mostly kids who would ask their parents to buy them live chickens as their pets. "It's really surprising. What we have been hearing is that raising chickens has helped parents teach their kids what responsibility is," Mascariñas said. BAVI is one of the largest rotisserie chicken companies in the Philippines. It is also the second-largest poultry integrator in the country, together with sister company Bounty Fresh Foods, Inc. (BFFI). Bounty’s retail brands include Adobo Connection. Chooks-to-Go has more than a thousand retail stores, while Uling Roasters now has more than 200 outlets nationwide. Two years ago, BAVI also contemplated bringing its brands abroad to test other Asian markets. "As an industry leader, it is BAVI’s resolve to continue growing its chicken commodity business along with the massive expansion of its various brands of retail stores for freshly cooked products," BAVI said in an earlier statement. "Filipinos overseas will soon have access to their favorite food in the Philippines wherever they are in the Asian region with the roll out of BAVI rotisserie stores overseas this year," it added.