The Department of Tourism (DoT), in partnership with Information Technology solutions company Cloud Panda PH, recently launched an e-commerce site offering Philippine flavors.
Accessible via phharvestdot.com, online shoppers may now enjoy varied Philippine flavors, from quality-sealed fresh and processed food selections to other essentials, under one platform which provides a seamless shopping experience for customers.
The new e-commerce site is a stand-alone online platform that aims to promote Philippine culture through food that is local, organic, artisanal, and indigenous, and alleviate the economic impact brought by the pandemic to local farmers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.
“Our country’s agricultural harvest is considerably vast, it only needs an effective channel to reach the right consumer, and I believe the technology that we have today can help us achieve that goal,” Cloud Panda PH co-founder Carlito Macadangdang said.
“I believe that the Philippines harvest initiative is the right path in moving people and producing towards a common goal, to help feed the economy during these trying times,” Cloud Panda PH co-founder Jonathan So added.
Philippine harvest products can be delivered by the merchants straight to the customers, making culinary experience more obtainable to every Filipino household.
All partner-merchants will also have access to the business tools available in the online platform. They will be provided with accounts for order tracking, inventory management, product catalogues, and links to their social media sites, among others.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat encouraged the public to maximize the use of the Internet by supporting local businesses.
“Cloud Panda has been developing applications and software that provide assistance to businesses. We are happy to be working with them now more than ever, knowing that they will help us strengthen the Philippine Harvest initiative in making Philippine-made produce readily available to the Filipinos,” Puyat said.
The DoT Philippine Harvest started its online leg on April 22 through its Facebook page and was also made available via Grab Philippines on July 6.