FOOD IS both personal and political—it sustains people and provides livelihoods, but at the same time, the overproduction of food can destroy our lands and limit our resources.
When one thinks of consumption and production, they usually imagine large food suppliers or well-known restaurant chains. However, over the years, it seems that a new business model has made its mark in the food industry: local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
As MSMEs developed, they were able to support the Philippines’ local food producers. Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic hampering the operation of brick-and-mortar stores, online patronization of local MSMEs’ products and services has only increased.
However, there is more to the MSME’s popularity than just passion and skill—beyond a means of expression or financial gain, this model also involves practicing sustainability. Budding food entrepreneurs must balance ensuring product quality, maximizing profit, and reducing food waste.
Wonder how they do it? Get to know how passion meets practice through these people: Instagram sustainability advocate fiasfud, local cheese pioneer Malagos Farmhouse, and the bridge to Philippine farmers, the Good Food Community!
Starting small with big responsibility
The foundation of an MSME does not come from nowhere; there is always an element of passion that acts as its starting point. This is indeed the case for Sofia Padilla, the face behind fiasfud, which is an Instagram account documenting her love of cooking and different food creations. Before starting her online food diary, she was an economics graduate working in a big corporation.
While she has always been fascinated by food, it was only in 2020 when she began sharing her process of food preparation on social media. From homemade ube pandesal to pasta and poke bowls, Padilla says this began as a passion project but has since become an avenue for her to advocate for sustainability.
As she prepares her food, Padilla puts her passion into practice. By ordering local ingredients and composting food waste, the central point of her business has always been honoring the hardworking farmers and fisherfolk who supply people with the best quality ingredients. In this light, she underscores how food becomes a connection between the farmer and the consumer.
According to the young entrepreneur, “The best way for you to do your part in the environment is through your business, because you can change the relationship people have with food.” This is entirely evident on her Instagram account, wherein she often has commentary on her interactions with local farmers and fishermen from Mabini, Batangas, where she sources fresh fish for her poke bowls. “I want to make sure that my food is organic, that its [ingredients are] sourced directly from producers, because you want to help uplift their lives,” she says.
Another business that shares Padilla’s sense of social responsibility is the Malagos Farmhouse. This MSME sells cheeses that are infused with Filipino-grown spices, fruits, and other local ingredients, which they source based on demand to prevent food waste. The longevity of this 16-year-old cheese business stems from its founder, Olive Puentespina, compelled by a sense of creativity in making unique products and concern for local farmers.
Similarly, Good Food Community is an organization that, according to their website, aims to “connect local, small-time farmers and farming communities in provinces to the bigger and more profitable markets in Metro Manila.” The team’s Advocacy Lead Mabi David and Marketing Lead Vida Castro founded the business to help farmers improve their sales, expand their farms, and connect themselves to the metro.
At its core, the Good Food Community believes that sustainability goes both ways. Thus, the Community works with farmers who practice environmental sustainability, specifically by selling produce that is not tainted by chemicals that could kill the soil, water, and vegetation. In return, the owners support the farmers who make all of this possible to begin with.
However, all of these MSME owners must walk the thin line between making a living and practicing advocacy.
For David and Castro, this feels like balancing on a tightrope as they try to make things easier for farmers but accessible for customers and their budgets. With Puentespina, it is the high cost of production for creating high-quality, farm-to-fork milk and cheeses. In Padilla’s situation, it is the patience needed to garden and the low returns that come with it.
Despite these risks, one thing can be agreed upon: “Buy Filipino, this is how we will recover economically. Our conscious effort to support local farmers, producers, and talents will definitely allow recovery [of the economy],” Puentespina encourages readers.
What our lands can offer
Supporting local food producers becomes easier when one recognizes the unlimited potential for innovation with local ingredients.
Puentespina believes that the Filipino’s interest in global cuisine can be met with a local touch. “With [the Filipino palate] in mind, I am more free to be creative and make cheeses with Filipino fruits, with Filipino grown spices and other Filipino ingredients,” she says. Not only is investing in well-grown local produce more environmentally-friendly and efficient, but it also tastes good.
In the past few years, however, the Philippines had grown increasingly more import-dependent. Both David and Vida proposed that beyond discussions on food security—which is often the excuse used to justify pricey imports—Filipinos should be champions of food sovereignty. This means becoming self-reliant on our food sources. “Food security says ‘you have food, but it doesn’t matter where it comes from.’ But, food sovereignty [gives us control over how our food is grown and produced]. We want to make sure they’re safe… we as consumers and farmers want those guarantees,” David asserted.
While it is important to cater to the consumer market, Good Food Community gives its farmers a say on what they will plant and how they price their goods. Environmental sustainability is also factored into the equation, as Good Food ’s crop programming encourages a variety of products instead of monocropping, which depletes the nutrients of the soil over time.
As consumers, one of the best ways to push for more sustainable food sourcing is to ask questions. Padilla frowns over how the culture of consumerism has led to the abundance of food waste within businesses, as well as shortcuts made at the expense of our farmers in order to meet customer demand. However, pressure can be exerted on politicians, produce middlemen, and food business owners by asking why they haven’t upheld their own roles to improve their food.
“Businesses will always give what the customer wants [because] they need their money. So if customers can urge businesses that they want food that is sourced properly, then businesses will find a way,” she reasons.
When choosing which businesses to support and what food to eat, we are reminded that food is political. From its ingredients to the production and preparation process, there are choices to be made that can help or harm people—a large part of which is in our hands as consumers.
We are reminded to actively support MSMEs, whose owners create high-quality goods while maintaining their advocacy and passion. It is never easy to strike this balance, but we think what they bring to the table is definitely a recipe for success.