A NEGROS-BASED AGRIPRENEUR USES HERBS TO CREATE NEW FLAVORS FOR A FAVORITE LOCAL DELICACY
Agriculture|May - June 2020
JESSELLE HYACINTH SUAREZ-HABLO from Negros Occidental, a chef by profession and an agripreneur by choice, believes that a healthy lifestyle is not limited to eating the right amount and kind of food.
PATRICIA BIANCA S. TACULAO
A NEGROS-BASED AGRIPRENEUR USES HERBS TO CREATE NEW FLAVORS FOR A FAVORITE LOCAL DELICACY

For her, being completely healthy means being aware of where your food came from, how it’s grown or raised, and whether or not it has traces of chemicals and other substances.

“That made me put my profession into action and I decided to start my own line of healthy products that include fresh herbs handpicked from our own farm,” she said.

She started by turning the piaya, a known delicacy from Negros Occidental, from a sweet treat into something savory and healthy by introducing a new and unique line of piaya flavors which uses herbs like basil and oregano.

The raw materials that Suarez-Hablo uses in her products come from her parents’ farm located in Brgy. Abuanan, Bago City, Negros Occidental.

Her decision to source from their farm stemmed from her advocacy of encouraging others to take up a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, she sees it as a way to make sure that the ingredients she uses are naturally produced.

A DIVERSIFIED FARM THAT STARTED AS A QUAIL SUPPLIER

Initially, their farm started in 2005 as a backyard farm that supplies quail eggs and quail meat to consumers in Bacolod City.

Over the years, the farm began incorporating other components such as crops, fruit trees, and various kinds of livestock in order to increase its diversity.

Presently, the farm is planted with around 7,000 calamansi trees, the herbs that Suarez-Hablo uses in her healthy piayas, vegetables, and rice. It also raises chickens, ducks, turkeys, quails, and native pigs.

This story is from the May - June 2020 edition of Agriculture.

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This story is from the May - June 2020 edition of Agriculture.

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