“We uplift our farmers’ need” Timoteo de Guzman an entrepreneur from Sto, Domingo Sur, Luna, La Union brought this mission into reality. Putting up a vinegar business known as “Sukang Iloko”, Mr. de Guzman or Tommy thought of ways to assure his raw material supplies while helping farmers within his locality. Hence at present, two sugarcane farmers from Luna and Bacnotan, La Union are now starting to gather produced which highly increased in volume this year as compared to the past years. Sto. Domingo Sur is a community with a total population of around 3,000 and seated north of La Union in Region 1. The population is dominated by farmers who plant corn and rice but with global warming, water shortage has been their primary problem for several years. Tommy who worked abroad as production planning manager for 14 years, acquired sufficient skills and knowledge to put up a business. Given his background too as a Marketing student at the University of the East, he thought of ways to market their own product as well as help farmers to invest into a crop not dependent on water supply. In 2002, he started operating his Sukang Iloko business without a brand name yet, which is only an added cost for him that time. His main outlet is the town market which buyers purchase in bags by five liters or less. With the limited demand, the business cannot operate fully thus it did not generate income but rather incurred loses along the way. He did not lose hope but devoted time to research on how to improve his product. In 2009, through the assistance of Department of Science and Technology (DOST), his product achieved a place in the market with its new packaging with a brand name known as “Uncle Tom”. To comply with the business requirements is the next challenge. Before, he thought these were just extra cost but soon realized its worth to pass the given requirements for a higher hope of the product to be included in the modern retail market or supermarkets. At present, he is working for the business BFAD registration. Working out his marketing strategies came next step by step. First, he placed an ad with one of the leading radio stations in Benguet and La Union, Second, he arranged meetings with supermarket and grocery owners in Benguet, La Union and Pangasinan including Cooyesan Supermart Incorporated (CSI), Sunshine Supermart, Tiongsan and Rising Sun. His efforts were successful when in March this year, Sunshine Supermart in Baguio City agreed to sell his products and made regular order of 20 boxes a month which contains 24pcs. each box. Also, November this year, Tiongsan ordered eight boxes and promised to support the business. His product remains in the market and other small sari-sari stores in the locality but the big difference is that consumers know the brand and the taste to look for. Having consumers who know what vinegar should they use in their kitchen, from his sales of P10,000.00 a year when he was operating part time, it increased to P30,000.00 in 2009 when the packaging was improved. And, this year after penetrating the Modern Retail Market, his sales gone up to P80,000.00. For people now are do not depend only on the brand to look for but can be greatly assured of the quality of the product. Seeing a better future for his business, his mission to help the farmers strengthened. He encouraged some farmers to invest in sugar cane and promised them that he will contract them to be his suppliers. There was no capital assistance involved with the agreement, only a matter of high level of trust bind both parties. It was the farmer’s initiative to source out fund to widen their sugarcane plantation. For some farmers planting corn and rice the past years, they shifted into sugarcane which is more promising now since there is a buyer. Did Tommy had doubts whether this will work out? He believes that you need to be careful in dealing with people in business but these people are not business people yet farmers, not strangers but from his own community. Knowing them as his own people, he has high hopes for their commitment plus he believes that what he offers is a win-win situation for them. The road is still long for “Uncle Tom” but knitting a vision of “Bringing Sukang Iloko to the World” makes the sun shine brighter for La Union.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 14:01:40 +0000
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