#MINDANAO
In many previous columns, I wrote about how Davao is well known for its fruits and agriculture. Being the banana export hub, cacao capital, durian, an emerging coffee growth area, and largest coconut producer make the region a diverse, abundant source of world-class, high-quality produce.
When we pair this with the fact that the region is a melting pot of Indigenous and migrant cultures from all over the country, a great mélange of food, bursting with textures and flavors emerges when combined with high-quality raw materials.
When the farmers or farm operators themselves process the materials into a new product, and some even serve it directly to customers as a service, a robust value chain is created, enabling the farm to earn more apart from selling the raw or fresh harvest to buyers. As there are many of them in Davao, it makes the region, in my view, the country’s farm-to-fork capital.
In today’s column, I would like to feature three sets of agripreneurs who exemplify the farm-to-fork concept.
Dragonfruit King is one example. They went from farming and producing dragon fruit to a well-loved shop selling dragon fruit shakes and similar creations. Owners Geoffrey and Joanna Igagamao began their small dragon fruit farm during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, to cope with the downturn of their shirt business. Today it has emerged as a formidable family startup business, engaging not only their skills and aptitudes as a couple but the budding entrepreneurial prowess of their children.
The other is Cacao Culture Farms. What started as a small cacao farm about eight years ago by Kenneth and Shiela Reyes-Lao bloomed into a successful producer of chocolate confections that now has a café. Having experience in previous startups, their business is a testament to innovation and effective forward integration, taking on opportunities in chocolate through confections.
Of course, there are the famous Malagos Cheeses of Olive Puentespina, using the milk of hundreds of goats raised in the farm to make delectable cheeses now served and known all over the world.
Farm-to-fork entrepreneurs can maximize the benefit of the value chain — enabling them to generate the most revenue out of the various stages of the commodity. Using cacao as an example, the value generated enters three stages of potential profit: the raw bean harvest, the processed bean confection, and the value from serving these to a customer in your own café, turning it into a delightful experience. This social benefit from employment and opportunity generated by a local farm-to-fork establishment is obvious. The farmer, cook, food processing employee and waiters, and the support staff that help the operation run are all part of the chain.
Thus, the higher up the value chain one goes, the more profit is generated and accumulated, which can be reallocated to expanding the cacao crop, the processing system, or opening more café branches.
To be a successful farm-to-fork entrepreneur, I believe you will need to accept that superior quality produce requires that one works with nature, understanding that proper practices are needed to harvest a superior crop or product. This high-quality harvested good will, in turn, be processed carefully to achieve high standards of quality. Such entrepreneurs have the guts to successfully deal with various types of stakeholders throughout the value chain — from farmers to chefs and customers. It will take much patience, fortitude, and faith to carry the farm-to-fork business forward.
Visit Davao to learn more about how these farm-to-fork success stories can inspire you in your entrepreneurial journey.