Pinoys are going gaga over organic, at least it’s true for a number of health conscious, pro-organic among us. If you’re a pro-organic consumer, this list should inspire you. Organic food is now widely available in groceries and supermarkets, but you can also personally visit organic farms and their store outlets to see just how they produce your chemical-free, organic food.
You might ask, why is organic food more expensive? The truth is, it isn’t just about supply and demand – for one, organic food requires more time and toil to produce with the non-use of commercially available and significantly cheaper growth hormones and chemicals.
It’s amazing to be transported to a flourishing farm, more so when farm crops and animals are cultivated with love and fed with organic food or fertilizer, creating a self-sustaining, chemical-free source of nutritious food. You will see for yourself how much work is done to operate an organic farm, and realize why organic food commands a higher price tag over non-organic.
Prosource International is the maker of ProSource Extra Virgin Coconut Oil marketed in the USA, and other locations. It also manufactures other coconut products such as coconut water, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut flour, coconut sugar, desiccated cocounut, coconut cooking oil, coconut nectar and coconut sauce.
Suite 20-D, Platinum 2000 Bldg., 7 Annapolis St., Greenhills, San Juan City 1502
Contact No. (02) 727 3948 / 727 3766
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://prosourcecoconut.com/
Engr. Herminio Ocba from Matalom, Leyte comes from a family of farmers who have been cultivating 50 hectares of coconut plantation for many years. He came to Biñan and established his civil engineering company in 1987, but wanted to do farming as well. This led him to establish the Laguna Organic Farm and Products, which began marketing organic produce to popular supermarkets and groceries nationwide including Rustans, SM and Shopwise. The farm is also supplying organic products internationally to Europe, US and hopefully Australia.
Location: 515 Emerald St. Nepa Subdivision San Vicente, Binan, Laguna
Contact No. (02)9865954 & (049) 4115174 (fax)
Benevelle produces coco nectar and coconut sugar. The company was established in April 2008 when owner Jenery Lim bought and developed an organic coconut farm in General Santos. Mr. Lim then employed local farmers and set up a manufacturing plant that produces coconut products, Benevita CocoSugar and Benevita CocoNectar, widely sold in gourmet shops and select supermarkets.
Location: Brgy. Sinawal, General Santos City, South Cotabato
Office: 84-F Ktanlad Street, Quezon City
Contact No. (02) 711 1884
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://benevelle.com/
The farm was established in 1975 by businessperson John Paul Perrine who had a passion for planting trees and other plants in his home property. Today, John and his wife Renee are now tending the farm on the foothills of Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon and making a good business out of their organic farm. My Personal Farmer produces organic vegetables, herbs, coffee, honey, and turmeric supplement, and distributes them to a network of purveyors in Luzon. The farm is also open to guests who would like to visit and experience farm life from a 2-hour tour to a month-long farm stay. The farm is also breeding horses and offers guests natural horsemanship demonstration along with farming lessons.
Location: Sankanan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, Mindanao
Contact No. (63) 915 960 0358 (Veggies); (63) 915 250 6486 (Turmeric & Honey); (63) 917 879 8669 (Tours )
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mypersonalfarmer.net/
Kahariam Farms is a family-owned organic farm, which started as a backyard garden to supply the family’s nutritional needs. The farming hobby blossomed into a full-grown organic farming business. Kahariam Farms now produces volumes of organic vegetables, rice, eggs, and poultry meat. It also offers 5 different agricultural seminars including organic vermicast production and utilization, and free range organic chicken and egg production. The farm is also a great place for team building activities, farm tours, and farm stays with its hotel rooms and dormitories, conference halls, swimming pool and recreational facilities.
Location: Brgy. Calamias, Lipa City Batangas
Contat No. 772 2951; (63) 918 83000190
Email:[email protected]; [email protected]
Website: http://www.kahariamfarms.com/
Ato Belen’s Farm in San Pablo, Laguna began in 1987, and flourished from a 200-square meter farm to a 15- hectare farm. It mainly grows fruit trees and the farm has more than 2,000 of high value fruit trees including rambutan, lanzones, black pepper, avocado, durian, and mango. The farm also sells organic farming solutions like Lactic Acid Serum (LAS), vermicast and African night crawlers. High value crops are intercropped with vegetables and other lower value crops to maximize production. Nearly every month, the farm is visited by various groups from preschoolers to agriculture students and organic farm enthusiasts to learn farming techniques and sustainable agriculture.
Location: Brgy. San Juan, San Pablo City, Laguna
Business Hours: Monday – Sunday at 8am – 4pm
Contact No. (049) 562 1215; (63) 917 676 1915 (Sales); (63) 917 676 1908 (Marketing)
Website: http://atobelensfarm.com/
Along the foothills of Mt. Banahaw in Majayjay, Laguna lies Costales Nature Farms, an organic farm developed by the Costales Family. Aside from producing organic vegetables and crops, the farm also offers farm tour packages and organic farm lessons. The farm was established in 2005, and is now a primary supplier of organic high value vegetables, herbs, eggs, poultry meat, and pork for some of the biggest and well-known groceries, hotels, resorts and restaurants in the country. Costales Nature Farms is accredited by the Agriculture Training Institute (ATI) of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Tourism (DOT), and provides seminars on organic farming and farm tourism.
Location: Costales Nature Farms Training Center, Brgy. Gagalot, Majayjay, Laguna
Business Hours:
Contact No. (049) 5763824
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.costalesnaturefarms.com/
Dr. Mylene Matti, an anesthesiologist and organic farming advocate, founded Green Earth Heritage Foundation in May 2009 after receiving a donation of over 100 hectares of land, which it cultivated and reforested. The foundation operates a farm and a charity that sponsors kids. Today, the foundation is actively participating in environment preservation projects and applying sustainable agricultural practices. It is also producing organic vegetables, fruits and crops, as well as marketing moringa tea. Green Earth Heritage Foundation is a member of the Organic Farmers and Processors Association of the Philippines (OFPAP).
Address: 1723 Dian St., Palanan, Makati, Philippines 1235
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.greenearthheritage.org/
PDCI is composed of more than 400 members all agrarian beneficiaries cultivating 817 hectares of land since 1992. It adopted organic farming techniques in 1994 and gained its OCCP certification in 2007. The cooperative produces and markets organic rice, bio-organic fertilizers, and it also provides organic rice production training, certification inclusion and input loan. Some of its organic rice varieties include Pecuaria Healthy Rice (90% full grain, unpolished), Pigmented Rice (great for those with diabetes and hypertension).
Location: Pecuaria, Lanipga, Bula, Camarines Sur
Contact No. (054) 478 2337; 0917 5253406
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Website: http://www.pecuariacoop.com/
Leonie Agri Corporation or LAC farm produces the raw materials for the famous Ascof Lagundi organic cough medicine by Pascual Laboratories. Leonora “Leonie” Pascual is in fact the matriarch of Pascual Lab, and along with husband Isosceles, founded Pascual Lab in 1946, which was a no-brainer given both were Chemistry grads from UP. The farm sits on a 42-hectare agricultural where the pesticide-free lagundi leaves are cultivated, harvested and processed. LAC is currently recognized as the largest and first certified organic farm in the Philippines, and Pascual Lab being the third largest Filipino-owned pharmaceutical company in the country.
Location: 441 Liwayway, Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija
Contact No. (044) 965 2134
Fax No. (044) 965 2135
Certified Farms as of January 2012
To verify the authenticity of the organic food you buy, here is a list of organic farms certified by the Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP) as of January 2012. The OCCP website badly needs an update (there could be more certified farms after four years). To be sure, contact OCCP.
Some of the organic farms certified by the OCCP weren’t included in our list mainly because of lack of information (i.e. no website or social media to get more data).
We hope this list proves useful for you whenever you like to visit an organic farm or buy organic produce that’s certified farm-fresh and truly organic. Many of these farms offer organic farming seminars and trainings to help you start your own organic farm. You can also explore the farm on a farm staycation complete with farm accommodation and helpings of organic food, plus the chance to do farm chores!
Care to share this list to your organic-food-consuming friends? Like you, they too could use this list so they’ll know where to go for their next grocery shopping of organic food or better yet a life-changing organic farm stay experience. Have fun shopping and eating organic!
i wish to seek more info on this subject, please advise related articles Thanks
Hi Thess, best contact whatever farm-stay you choose to want to check out.