Student-led startup champions black rice farmers with local superfood bar

Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing that something you worked hard for benefits not only you, but also the lives of others.

- By AJ GOMEZ

BLACKGOLD FOOD Corporation team members present their Nutribar at the Caraga Food Innovation Center.

When driven by purpose, the rewards go far beyond anything tangible.This is exactly what 22-year-old Kieth Charles Bequibel experienced when he founded BlackGold Food Corporation-a student-led food manufacturing enterprise based in Butuan City that produces the Philippines' first-ever locally made superfood snack bar.

BlackGold calls it the Nutribar, a compact bar powered by one key ingredient: black rice. What makes it more meaningful is that every grain is sourced directly from black rice farmers in Butuan City, particularly the members of the Butuan City Organic Agriculture Cooperative.

"Most farmers are discouraged from planting black rice because if you eat black rice, most people automatically think you have diabetes," the young CEO shared.

Bequibel explained that the Caraga region remains one of the biggest suppliers of black rice in the country, which often results in surplus.

"That's why we saw this as an opportunity to further innovate. It would be a waste to use imported ingredients like wheat, oats, and cereals," he added.