IFEX Philippines 2010

Right after we set up on opening day, good that I decided to take a picture, as there will be hardly time after as we got busy. Talk talk talk....time to rest a little, then a flurry of activities again. Thank you to CITEM's Doris, Luz and Pia for promoting IFEX 2010 well.

Co-branding, co-ordinating, co-marketing....Alaminos Goat Farm and I met in IFEX 2008, since then we had been helping and supporting each other. Great decision to show side by side. Without borders :) We have the same market profile and it suited us well to be associated.

I won't push a product that I don't believe in. Doc Rey and I consume 20lts of milk a week. Alaminos Goat Farm supplies us with 10lts while I get my other 10lts of milk from Philippine Carabao Center. The best milks I can say. The Carabao milk gives me the cream I live for, the Goats give me the best milk, closest to mothers' :)

Best opportunity to bring out our Sunshine Sausages for intro to the general public. Did pretty well. People who had bought from us had already reordered them, just a few days after. I can't say what sold best. All sold equally well. Salve of APDC, the developers of Sunshine Sausages was there the last day. She saw how the response to the product was, and will be scheduling processing dates again.

Totie and company of Alaminos Goat Farm assisted us from ingress to egress.

Rocky helped during Summer schedule breaks...must be the two good looking men that attracted and brought in the sales? It may have helped, but it is really the healthy goat and chicken products that pulled them in :)

Full support is important from suppliers to media partners and co brands. BTW, Louis Perrault of SASSO was behind us too.

I tell you.....am not yet done posting this and we got a lot of calls from institution accounts already for Sunshine Sausages. I love IFEX :)

Relations That Work

Means that we collaborate, we work individually, and work with one another....and we are all hard workers :)

It is rare that we get to sit down with friends and still do our jobs. The trade shows offer that kind of opportunity. Most times we are all miles apart, but the shows centralize us.

Doc Rey enjoys day2 of INAHGEN 2010 with Rene Almeda of Alaminos Goat Farm and Mr. Zac Sarian of Manila Bulletin :)

Can you guess what's next?

Healthy Ice Cream

Gerry and Zac got lost from my view for some minutes. Next thing I knew, they were raving about the ice cream they had at Rene Almeda's Alaminos Goat Farm booth. I know Rene was having a taste test of the sausages BAI developed for his goat...but ice cream? There was not mention of that.

Oh boy...do I love ice cream. But then, will the one from goat's milk taste good? How was it compared to dirty ice cream...they said BETTER! Hmmmmm....what flavors...Ube and Cheese. If these two men say it was masarap...am sure it was. I made a mental note to try it later.

A few minutes later....Rene was walking towards us and brought two (2) cups of Ube and Cheese ice cream. He must have remembered my sweet tooth. Seeing how tiny the cups were for my teeth...Doc Rey gave his cup to me.

YUMMY...promise! I walked over to congratulate the Almedas. Still not available commercialy. They commissioned someone to make it for them for serving during Agrilink :)

Selling at PHP40 per small cup...it was so worth it. Creamy, and real pure ingredients. You can taste the freshness.

IFEX 2009

Hurdles, when looked from afar, turn out to be great stepping stones.

Three weeks before IFEX 2009, CITEM wrote to us to request that we move booths, as an association wanted our spot. Nope, chose that location early and paid for. I got to ingress early, and the association's people were there seating in my booth. I talked to CITEM and yes they said I will be allowed to ingress in my booth. I didn't want to be at odds with my neighboring booths as they will occupy my perimeter...so I took a walk and looked at the location from afar. Talked to CITEM and CENTREX for a solution. Will they allow a booth by the post? Right smack in the middle? Oh they said YES!

See how well it worked for us.


This year's IFEX met our needs. Much like last year's event, we were seen by good media mileage and food industry people. Nana Ozaeta and her staff from F&B World was there to visit us. We gamely took pictures of the framed article of Sunshine featured in their magazine in Jan 2009, that we display prominently. Growers and prospective farmers saw us there too. Restaurants talked to us. Government agencies matched us with inquiries.

The food trade shows are meant to really market our growers who raises the our Sunshine Chickens. We are there to turnover inquiries and sales.

What was the highlight of the show for me? The one that made me proud?

A lady walked up to me and said she wanted to try the chicken for her restaurant. I asked her location and immediately got a brochure and wrote down the name of my grower in that area. As I handed it to her....she smiled right away and said that the grower was her cousin!

They hooked up right away for initial meetings and talks between me and grower.

Why am I happy? Because there was no questions asked, they were hooked up right away. I am sure, it proved my point about the referrals and marketing we really do for our growers. It was very obvious and my grower must have felt it too.

Felt like IFEX already served my purpose, if only that one transaction is closed....btw, its not a small one :)

Aside from our Sunshine growers, I also keep our booths open to friends whose products I believe in carrying side by side with mine. Kablon Farm and Alaminos Goat Farm was with us this show. I also invited our e-group members of natural farming in the Philippines....but maybe they will not be shy next shows :) It is an earnest and serious invitation with no strings attached, to market with us.

Sad Andry Lim wasn't around....we were able to take a picture of three (3) cover stars of recent Agriculture Magazine editions. Jojie represented Andry Lim, Rene Almeda of Alaminos Goat Farm and of course, Doc Rey of Sunshine Chicken.

MILK STAR DAIRY PLANT

I am not comfortable going to parties, events....I guess am not sociable :) Thought about what I can do while Zac and Doc Rey were learning about the plant....

We got there at 11am...parking was full, save for a lone spot near the caterer's place (good, it means a short hop to the registration). But it means walking into a tent full of visitors...


The Almedas were such pleasant hosts! They led us around, making us feel at home and welcome. First table had a familiar smile but I am so bad with names and faces...but this one was a really so familiar face. He said we met during Agrilink. Oh well, yeah right, very helpful info. Next table, I heard "PCARRD" being mentioned. Then I recognized Doc Synan, then I immediately looked again at the "familar face" and of course..the boss of Doc Synan. I am terrible with names...was that Doc Edwin?

Next table was the Goat Federation members, let by Ben Rara. I've been bumping into him in several web sites already...from gamefowls, to everywhere wehehhehe.

By the time we were walking to the blessing proper....I saw our grower in Tuy, Batangas! We were just texting on our schedules on visiting the Sunshines in Tuy, Batangas. Not knowing we were both enroute to Alaminos Goat Farm!

The blessing proper of the first dairy plant for goat's milk went smoothly. Credit it to relatives and friends who cared. You don't drive a distance just to be there :) It was so cute to see adults pick up the coins from the "pasabog".

Going back to the tent...we were taking pictures of the lechon kambing - perfect excuse to make kurot! Take another picture...kurot again!

During lunch...I see a brother in law! Geez, we don't even see each other in Isabela for ages, and here we are about 500kms from were we both stay.

Thankful that Doc Synan came over to our group...it started a very interesting talk on genetics in several species up to show biz denizens. Guess Doc Synan, Zac, Doc Rey and I looked we were enjoying ourselves as several others came over and joined the table :)

Doc Synan of PCARRD, and who moderates the poultry forum of the PCARRD message boards - does make an interesting specimen for an interview and information gathering.

I learned a lot today....Alaminos was the 2nd in the iterinary for this morning! Before I share what I learned earlier.... Let me relish first the feast called lunch today. From the buffet I had two servings of the lechon goat, several too for the ice cream...and yes two huge slices of the Leche Flan made from Goat's milk. Didn't they say "better to walk in pairs"?

You can feel that the preparations was a family affair event. Everyone looked like an Almeda. Hey Doc Synan...what did we talk again about producing good looking offsprings? wehehhehe

Good night for now....have to go to the Market tomorrow.

First Day At The Market

Yes, Sunshine dressed chickens are now at Market At The Hills.

I was up early to be at Market At The Hills by 5:30am, w/c was the time given by the organizers to set up your table.

Since I don't really need to set up anything, I was done in a few minutes. 2 roll up tarps, 1 cooler w/ wheels, 1 smaller one that acted as my utility table top, some brochures on the table and of course...my forever attention getter decors. Never failed! Not even in this foodie place.

People are asking why I got a booth. Its relaxing to just retail your baby product. My sister who visited me there asked also why I was alone..wehehehe I wanted to be by myself, any and all mistakes will be mine and won't be bothered by others' booboos. Toti Almeda of Milk Star Goat's Milk came by to check out the place. My friend Mitos was there too.

Product awareness was what I wanted to achieve in this booth. I didn't make a mistake as I was explaining to interested ears about the Sunshines. Happy with my day.....now looking forward to tomorrow, but I will miss so much the guys at Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura, moreso the Agri Kapihan at DWWW.

Alaminos Goat Farm

Walking around IFEX, I bought my merienda of Goat's milk and went back to the booth. That was when I saw the picture of Toti Almeda in Manila Bulletin's feature for the IFEX booths.

We thought that it would be a nice break to visit a goat farm, Alaminos Goat Farm at that (having a name recall already) and to go on to visit Earthkeepers again in Quezon.

Off at half past 4am from Rizal, we drove the route again of the East Road to Laguna. By 7am, we were knocking at the gates of Alaminos Goat Farm (aka Holy Road, as the private road was between two churches).

As you enter, you are greeted by the dairy plant. You are led to park near the bodega, as the cages are there. First we saw was Rene Almeda, the dad....a gregarious and engaging persona. Non-stop senseful talker! Following is Toti, the son who has such a warm and wholesome personality. From nowhere, Art Almeda appears, The Owner.....They look so clean and flawless, you'd accept why Spas swear by Goat's milk.

My first words were ... "I thought Art was elderly"!

Amazing how Rene was able to raise well mannered young men, more so the fact that they like their farm work. Art is the farm guy, Toti does marketing.

We were not prepared to see such small horses :)....or rather huge goats! We were in time for milking time....see for yourself how big they can get. You won't get intimidated by their size as they are very tame and actually stand to get near you as they think you are there to bring their nursing bottles.

Glad that we went there and met the Almedas. I can see goats in agri shows...but you don't always get to encounter Almedas. They are very generous with knowledge. And yes, experience and age makes you gravitate towards people with same sights.

They were worth the long trip from Isabela to Laguna.

Visit them here.

Try some Milk Star.