SOAP in Agrilink

SOAP for Spread Organic Agriculture in the Philippines will be at Agrilink!

October 6-8, World Trade Center.  We will have a table in the Department of Agriculture Pavilion.

Talks on Oct7 at 10:30am:  "Kamote as an Alternative Staple", Growing in the City by Perrine Collin.  Pamela Henares of NISARD talks of SOAP and Vermiculture.  AANI's Raymond Rubia will talk about "All About Herbs".

Come and visit us for sustainable organic agriculture practices.

Poultry & Livestock Forum

WHAT: Poultry & Livestock Forum
WHERE: AANI Quezon Memorial Circle
WHEN: Every 3rd Sunday of the month, 1-5pm
WHO: Ben Rara and Doc Rey

This is not a seminar type, but a forum.  It will be focused on poultry and livestock sourcing, raising, marketing etc.  Open to the public and FREE. 

AANI Plus

Good news!

During Agrilink 2010 in October, AANI will set up an outdoor, all day consultation tables for almost all aspects of agriculture (vermiculture, free range chicken, organic farming, aquaculture etc). Experts and agri entrepreneurs are the best sources of information. This move will make it flexible for those whose schedules are tight and can't make the scheduled seminars. Aside from the consultation tables, AANI will also schedule seminars in the frequently requested topics :)

We will post schedules here.

Our way of saying thank you for your support.

Dialogue With DA Sec Alcala

We were advised last night that DA Sec Procy Alacala had confirmed to attend AANI Harvest Festival opening on July 16 at 8am. Following will be a dialogue with Sec Alcala, that will be open for all.

Join us in this opportunity to meet our new DA Secretary! Open to all. No entrance fees.

AANI Harvest Festival
Quezon Memorial Circle (use Commonwealth gate)
July 16, 8am

File photo taken in 2008. Then Cong. Alcala was always open to discussions and consultations.

AANI Harvest Festival

AANI Harvest Festival: Farm in the park! July 16-18 at AANI Herbal Garden, Quezon Memorial Circle.

Fiesta ambiance with farm animals, zoo, barbecues, fruits, veggies, wine tasting, free seminars, music, gardening and cooking demos. Merrymaking, Agri and Aqua Kapihan etc.

This will celebrate AANI's anniversary.

There will be a seminar on Raising Sunshine Chicken:

Saturday, July 17, 8am, by Doc Rey :)

Free entrance. See you there!

The 3rd Pinoy Organic Festival

The venue and set up for this show was simple and basic. Tents, ordinary tables, under the trees, in the parking lot. No frills, no extravagance...by default it went with what basic and organic really meant. The attendees were mostly farmers, which is the point of this event. It was a good convergence for farmers like us.

Senator Miguel Zubiri was there. He is the principal author of the Philippine Organic Agriculture Law. At the end, it will really be the organic and natural farming practitioners, herbal advocates and the consumers who will be guided by moral ethics and common sense. Oh well, that is my opinion.

Doc Rey conducted a seminar on the last day. Very well attended and the interest was held.

I went around Sunday morning and found a sweet tuba seller! My favorite drink ever! Asked her to reserve the last bottles for me and asked her if we can go visit her farm. She is one of the few OCCP Certified Organic farms. Timing, because she also wanted to carry Sunshine Chicken in her store to go with her veggies. That should be another post, after we visit the farm.

I asked Mr. Sarian, editor for Agriculture of Manila Bulletin if he wanted to join the trip. That is how agri friends spend time together....farm visits :) We get to enjoy good company and the best fresh produce.

It is those farm tours that allow us to know, where to get what. We really see how the farms are operated and how the produce are grown. Oh no, we are not a certifying body nor an organic organization. We are just enjoying time together with friends.

Mr. Zac Sarian during opening day.

AANI, May 30 - Updated

WHAT: Raising Sunshine Chicken from Day1 to Harvest
WHERE: AANI Quezon Memorial Circle,
enter thru gate across PHILCOA
WHEN: May 30, 4pm
WHO: Doc Rey
FEE: Am not sure if free or they are charging for maintenance,
please contact AANI at (02) 497-2755

Going To Agrilink 2010

Barely having time from the turnaround after IFEX, we now get a call about our booth for Agrilink 2010! That is in October, but it takes time to plan, so yes....we are now starting to look forward to our October show.

Our 4th year to join Agrilink, touted as the biggest Agriculture trade show in the Philippines.

WHAT: Agrilink 2010
WHERE: World Trade Center, Pasay City
WHEN: October 7 to 9

We always plan to give you something better :) See us at our booth!

Seminar For AANI, May 8

WHAT: Seminar in Raising Sunshine Chicken
WHEN: May 8, Saturday, 3pm
WHERE: AANI Quezon Memorial Circle, enter across PHILCOA
WHO: Doc Rey

This will a free seminar given by AANI (Agri Aqua Network International). For details please call AANI at (02) 497-2755.

Sunshine Chicken 101

Basic Know-how From Day1 to Harvest.

Includes advantages, brooding, feeding, housing, ranging and business opportunities.

In DVD format, Doc Rey discusses an overview on raising Sunshine Chicken.

Available at all Solraya Enterprises and AANI branches (refer to link of dealer list for dayold chicks).

PHP350 for pick up at AANI and all Solraya outlets. We may send to you by LBC, all inclusive at PHP600.

For orders that have to be sent by LBC:

1) Pay PHP600 thru BPI: Solraya Enterprises, C/A 3535-8057-24
2) Advise us my email info@solraya.com or text (0917) 847-2639 about the deposit, include name and address for our LBC details
3) We send by LBC the next day. You receive it the day after we send.

AANI Hour

Today is the intro for AANI Hour over GNN Destiny Cable. It will be aired every Thursday, 10-11am.

For the intro, they will have the President and Vice President, Mr. Zac Sarian and Eng. Pol Rubia respectively, of AANI.

Surely, it will be guesting people in the know in agriculture in the next weeks.

Radio Programs

Because the radio reaches a broad audience and cross segments, we are excited when we get invited for radio interviews. Guesting invitations had been accepted for various shows.

DWWW's Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura (774, Sun 4:30-7:30am) has Doc Rey regularly as Vet ng Bayan. ABS-CBN's DZMM's Kabukiran (630, Sat and Sun 4:40-6am) guests Doc Rey often and he is invited in their out of town seminars. Both agriculture programming.

Last week an FM station in Southern Tagalog, based in Batangas has met us during Agrilink and wants to feature Sunshine Chicken in their negosyo program. We go there after All Saint's Day as they want a live interview.

Another exciting invitation is by DZRH through Eng. Pol Rubia of AANI. Sunshine Chicken will be on their agriculture show aired Saturdays 7:30-9am, fed nationwide except Metro Manila...:) which is really the market that should be reached.

See you on the air!

Worth Our While

Agrilink 2009 was very good for us. Inspite of most exhibitors' laments that attendance was low, sales were bad...it was tremendously great for us. Granting that the recent calamities didn't allow the expected number of visitors, we were very busy detailing and entertaining. There are normally six (6) of us at any given time in the booth, and no one ate on time.

Our sales on dayold chicks tripled for retail compared to last year's, and orders for deliveries have been booked keeping us busy for the next weeks to come. Dressed chickens were brought for display purposes but we saw that on day1, people knew about our product and were walking up to us specifically to purchase the dressed Sunshines. By the last day, we were sold out quite early! After a day's rest, we have instructed to personnel to look into an unscheduled dressing, as our freezers are empty....a nice problem huh?

What do we account the interest to?

1) Word of mouth - A lot of clients were repeat customers plus the referrals and new ones who saw us

2) Experience - Same with the dressed Sunshines, they heard us through the chicken vine :)

3) Neighborhood - Someone from the large booth across us asked me if the set up of Teresa Orchard, Sunshine Chicken and AANI were all owned by one person. I asked why? He said because from ingress to 3day sales...everyone in the booths were helping one another. That is from food, supot, tali, answering inquiries, panukli etc etc etc....its not just about business.

4) Passion - We really love what we are doing and earnestly believe in our product.

5) Competition :) - We continue to reinvent ourselves and compete solely with our selves.

6) You - Fast learners. Over the years, you allowed our team to educate you about eating well and healthy. You also learned to grow your own food. You continued to learn with us.

Actually, trade shows are there to benefit you. I hope it was also worth your while.

Last Chance At Agrilink

Today is the last day of Agrilink 2009. Read about it here.

May be the last day, but collaborations and friendships built over time goes on and on. Most plans are cemented over "hito" lunches.

So watch out for more agriculture shows, on land, on wheels and on the air.

Joining Agrilink 2009

Don't miss this year's Agrilink, slated for October 8-10 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Agrilink is touted as the biggest agriculture show ( I will say "yes" in terms of number of visitors). As usual, we will be exhibiting indoors and outdoors.

This early, in cooperation with Agri Aqua Network International (AANI) we are planning on how to give you a better showing of our products.

As usual, our Sunshine growers are most welcome to join us in marketing their products in all the trade shows that we join.

Where Can I Get Ready To Range?

Am not sure if its because that Zac Sarian had featured several times, Kagawad Henry Anunciacion of Sinait, Ilocos Sur finding a business in raising "ready to range" Sunshine Chicks...or that I made a post in this blog as one of the business ideas, to raise Sunshine Chicks till about 21days then sell them. Brooding is no joke :)

We had been getting calls about purchasing ready to range chicks. Sorry but we always book our day old chicks and we have none to grow til 21days.

Another grower in Gen Santos, Rene, wants to discuss this possibility of doing it in his part of Mindanao.

Pol Rubia of Agri Aqua Network International (AANI) may go into this too, as he will start to brood for our demo farm and my needs for dressed chickens for marketing purposes. We discussed about selling ranging chicks since visitors to the demo farm will find him convenient as he is in Metro Manila.

Looks like the business ideas we had been posting are starting to rub in on others and opening eyes.

As the assessment goes...it is only the Agriculture sector that will make the Philippines float.

Madre de Agua

Have you tried feeding your Sunshines with Trichantera Gigantica...commonly called Madre de Agua.

Ruminants love them too and is easy propagate as you only need cuttings.

Gerry of AANI excitedly told us yesterday that he and Arsie had been experimenting on his Sunshines and have fed them with Madre de Agua.

1kilo in 30days... supplemented with feeds.

AANI Christmas Bazaar

December 11-14, to be held at the AANI Herbal Garden and Livelihood Center, East Ave Gate, Quezon Memorial Circle.

Various agricultural products will be made available as this will be in partnership with Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

This may be the last grand activity for the year in this location, as come January 2009, we move to the other side. I actually like the new site better. Coming from Commonwealth Ave, you enter the Commonwealth entrance of Quezon Memorial Circle. You will see the AANI to your right, with perfect parking. If you are driving around the Elliptical Circle, you will find it at the tip of Commonwealth Ave, across Philippine Coconut Authority.

Agrilink 2008

I only had time to take pictures when I was fixing up booth early before the opening, so no photos of the real life of the Agrilink 2008. Such a pity to miss documenting it...but it stays in us :)

Remember my post on thought balloons? How I was segregating my thoughts and calendars in my own "thought balloons" to sort of give comic relief and allow myself to see through a child's eyes? I had no idea yet how I was to spruce up the Sunshine booth. Then, it dawned on me...BALLOONS! Why the choice of colors? Those are the colors of our new improved Sunshine lines :)

As soon as the guard allowed me to enter World Trade Center, I prepped the booth. Then two men were walking up, talking, then stopped at their heels. I guess the booth was effective as an eye catcher :) I didn't know the man in barong, but the second man in t-shirt..hmmm...I realized after a couple of seconds was Sec. Arthur Yap. Soon after, Doc Rey arrived and started talking with the two men. Wehehehhe...it was much much later that he realized it was the Secretary of the the Department of Agriculture.

He will remember our unrehearsed booboos as he walked through with Pres GMA and stopped by our booth and explained to her about the Sunshines. They took pictures with the Sunshine chicks display.

I tell you, those scenes made the Secretary rememember Doc Rey, as he greeted Doc Rey as he was having coffee again later, "bata, madami ka na bang benta?". Doc Rey again didn't recognize him as he was now in barong :)

Louis Perrault, GM for SASSO arrived also. Dinner was a good time to unwind and have laughs outside work.

Next day, there was this man talking/laughing with us about our booboos with the Secretary (oh he was the other man in barong). I asked Pol Rubia who he was...Lydon Tan was the name.

Agrilink 2008 was so busy for us. We had an indoor booth under the French Pavilion, and an outdoor booth under the Friends of AANI tents :) Our outdoor staff was so busy with the retail sales of Sunshines and dressed chickens. It was so cute that people would inquire if the vacuum packed chickens were available. I guess that's our trademark now. Good decision to have a big freezer full for Oct 9-11.

Very successful! Not just in terms of sales. I will say far more than just income.

See you in my next thought balloons.

"Sec Yap, see you in Isabela"!

TV Shoot For Hayop Mag-Alaga

Today, by 8am, we met with the crew of Hayop Mag-alaga. Aired over Channel 13, 1:30 Saturdays, and also shown in Vizmin stations. We decided to use our demo farm inside the Manila Boystown Complex, in Parang Marikina.


While they were doing the the interview on the technical side with Doc Rey, I was entertaining myself looking at how happy the Sunshines are in action. You could still hear the interview going, as they were shooting and having another angle of the Sunshines as their backdrop.


The picture was taken as they were shooting the spiel for the intro to Doc Rey's segment.

No pictures when it was my turn to shoot :)

This was the only time to take a pic of what we were to partake. Thank you to Roger, who always cooks for us at AANI events. We didn't have a picture anymore of our inihaw...and the spread of banana leaves as table cloth and plate, rolled around the table :)


Sam Francisco, the director, said it will be shown sometime November.

Incidentally, this is the 1st public appearance of Doc Rey since he got an Appendectomy. He travelled from Isabela yesterday, to make this shoot and for the Agri Kapihan and seminar on Sunday.