Co-ops Make Money from Ordinary Fruits

October 27, 2010, 7:52pm

Five farmers’ cooperatives in Rosario, Batangas, have literally found a gold mine in three ordinary fruits – Indian mango, atis and guava – after the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and one of the province’s state universities taught them how to make wine from the said fruits.

DAR Secretary Gil de los Reyes said the five cooperatives benefiting from the wine-making project, courtesy of the DAR and the Batangas State University (BatStateU), are Pinagsibaan Farmers Development Cooperative (Pifadeco), San Isidro/Nasi Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Haybanga, Big A and Seaside B.

De los Reyes said the project, dubbed as “Boost our Fruits: Development of Fruit Processing Enterprises in Batangas,” is one of DAR’s major thrusts in its beneficiaries’ development program aimed at boosting farmers’ income, and reducing their dependence on traders who are buying their harvests at very low prices.

“Developing the entrepreneurial skills of our farmer beneficiaries is what we in the DAR have been pushing to help them attain economic stability.

We have to re-skill them rather than retool them. For in re-skill, you empower the person. Besides, the skills remain with the person while the tools disappear,” he said.

DAR Southern Tagalog-A director Antonio Evangelista said he expects a big economic turnaround in the province as demand for Indian mango, guava and atis would become higher, following the establishment of a wine processing center in Barangay Pinagsibaan which is being run by Pifadeco, whose members are mostly agrarian reform beneficiaries.

From here on, Batangas will no longer be known only for its barako cofee, tawilis fish and fan knife (balisong), but it will also become the home of wines out of Indian mango, atis and guava as well as for atis juice, Indian mango and tamarind candies, and tamarind jam, Evangelista said.

BatStateU president Vilma L. Magnaye echoed the same sentiment, saying that the project would not only increase the economic value of the said fruits and help farmers establish their own promising business enterprises, but it would also avoid wastage that was evident in the past, especially during peak harvest season.

She recalled the days when Indian mangoes, guavas and tamarind were largely ignored during peak season and were left to rot in the backyards as the cost of bringing them to the market was much greater than the income expected to be derived from them.

“With this project, we are hopeful that these three fruits would no longer be ignored and left to rot in the backyards,” Magnaye said.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

When your customers become your best marketers

By Ned Roberto, Ardy Roberto
Philippine Daily Inquirer

SETH GODIN, the best selling author of Purple Cow and most followed marketing blogger, also wrote a book titled “All Marketers Are Liars.” The book raised eyebrows but made a point. Consumers don’t listen or believe in what they see or hear being advertised anymore. In the US, the stats have hovered around the 90 percent mark. That’s 9/10 people don’t believe in the promises pitched by advertisers. Advertising still helps in terms of awareness but the ad, it seems, has to be verified by a friend, relative, colleague, officemate, etc.

“Does that place really have the best Italian pizza as the ad says?” asks someone who saw a TVC or print ad to his friend.

Once the friend positively verifies the claim, then there is a mental note taken: “OK, let’s try that restaurant next time…”

After a few years, Godin’s book was republished and retitled, “All Marketers Tell Stories.” The content was basically the same, but Godin just wanted to focus more on the main premise: that marketers would do much better and sell more of their stuff if they concentrated on creating stories about their brands and services.

How? Four letters: W-O-M-M. Or Word of MouthMarketing.
Today, we could replace “Mouth” with “Mouse” because of the Internet, bloggers and social media. (But with all these touch screen devices and this-pad and that-pad, mouses might be a thing of the past as well, so let’s stick to word of mouth.)

Your customers are your best story tellers
In the ’90s, Direct Selling started to boom. Even during the 1997 Asian Crisis direct selling companies like Avon, Sara Lee and a host of new MLM (multilevel marketing)/direct selling companies (like NuSkin, Amway, Symmetry, etc.) did extremely well and were growing despite the economic crisis.

People were buying from friends and family. Distributors and direct sellers were trained and told that they were not selling but just “sharing a story” about a product. And so the first requirement of a direct seller was to use the product and have a story to share about their experience in using the product. This was called a “product story” or “testimonial.”
Direct selling companies continue to boom today because of Filipinos penchant for story telling (or sharing “chismis” or the latest news even if it is about a product or service.)
FernC, the vitamin C brand sold via direct selling, quickly reached a billion pesos in annual sales without even being in a single Mercury Drug store. Stories about this non-acidic/alkaline vitamin C (you could mega dose on this vitamin C and not have an upset stomach) were quickly shared via word of mouth.

And now we have story sharing sites—YouTube, Facebook, Twitter. The new holy trinity of social media.

Recently, the Jr. MarketingRxer, was invited to deliver a talk on Customer Service at the annual Retail Merchants Forum sponsored and hosted by Ayala Malls. I invited Customer Experience trainer and consultant, JV Wong, with me to speak. If I were asked to speak on Customer Service a few years ago, I would decline. But today, Customer Service has become “the New Marketing.” If Marketers are supposed to tell, according to Godin, “authentic stories” that can be spread virally, then who best to spread the stories than your CUSTOMERS? And that’s exactly what they are doing through the holy trinity of social media.

Marketing glee...or glum
This is cause for either glee or glum for marketers. Glee if they deliver or over deliver on their promises and delight the customer. This glee becomes a Facebook status update, a Twit, or a blog post on someone’s Word Press or Blogger site. Glum if they fail to deliver on the product’s promises and / or give poor service.

Some cases of glee: positive stories of influential food and travel blogger, Anton Diaz (ourawesomeplanet.com) have caused my family and business colleagues to try and discover new restaurants in the Fort Bonifacio and Greenbelt area. Other cases of customers sharing stories about their positive product or customer service experiences are in my presentation. Example: Customer raves and blogs about her experience with how the Nintendo service center fixed/replaced her Wii within 30 minutes (while a life size Super Mario mascot entertained her and her son) instead of the usual two weeks that she thought it would take.

We don’t have space to discuss all the case studies so check out the case studies that I presented during my talk on slideshare.net/ardyroberto or click the presentation link on saltandlightventures.com.

Case of stories of glum were also part of my presentation. Including The United Airlines breaks guitars story. Musician Dave Carrol flew on United Airlines and he ended up with a broken guitar. (From the window of his airplane seat, Carrol saw how his guitar was being loaded—or actually thrown around.) Despite his complaints, United refused to compensate Carrol for the damaged guitar. So the musician/leader of the band, Sons of Maxwell, created a song and music video entitled “United Breaks Guitars” and posted it on YouTube. After a few hundred thousand views, United finally took action to minimize the damage on their brand and compensated Carrol. (United actually hired the musician to tell the continuing story of how the airline is trying to do better.) So far, the United Breaks Guitars story has hit nine million YouTube views.

So give your customers a positive, gleeful story to share and they will share it whether it is around the dining table or on their Facebook status. Ask yourself and your management team this question next time you meet: “When my customers walk out of my store or use my product or service, this is the story that they will share: _____________.”

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Leaders develop daily, not in a day

By John C. Maxwell
Philippine Daily Inquirer

A GROUP OF American tourists walked through a quaint English village in wonderment. They were enamored by the town’s winding cobblestone streets, the beauty of its courtyards and plazas, and the sense of history emanating from its ancient churches. While strolling through the local park, the tourists struck up conversation with an elderly gentleman and found out that he had lived in the town for his entire life. One of the Americans, eager to hear more about the town’s history, asked, “Sir, have any great men been born in this village?” “Nope,” said the old man, “only babies.”


Personal growth is a process

In our 20s, we think ahead to when we’ll be ideally situated in our career, positioned to do exactly what we enjoy, and enjoying immense influence in our occupation. Like children on the way to Disneyland, we impatiently await arrival at our destination instead of appreciating the journey there. However, as we age we encounter an uncomfortable truth: Growth doesn’t happen automatically. We cannot coast through life hoping one day to stumble across our dreams. Unless we set aside time to grow into the person we desire to be, we’ll not reach our potential.

Leaders develop daily, not in a day. They commit themselves to the process of growth, and over time they reap the rewards of daily investments in their development. In this lesson, I’d like to share five principles to encourage you to adopt a lifestyle of personal growth.

1. Growth is the great separator of those who succeed and those who do not.
When I went to college, there was no gap between my peers and me—none at all. We started on the same level. However, at the age of 17, I made a commitment to spend an hour a day on my personal growth. I studied and read, filing the lessons I learned along the way. Now, in most cases, the gap between my former classmates and me is pretty wide. Am I smarter than they are? Absolutely not. Many of them got better grades than I did in college. It’s the growth factor–my commitment to the process of personal growth–that has made the difference.

2. Growth takes time, and only time can teach us some things.
When it comes to personal growth, you cannot substitute for time. Yet, the mere passage of time doesn’t make you wise. Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is the best teacher. To gain insights from your experience, you have to engage in reflective thinking. I have a habit of taking ten minutes every evening to look back on the day. As I reflect on what happened, lessons emerge, and I capture them in my notebook so that I can learn from them.

3. Growth inside fuels growth outside.
The highest reward of our toil is not what we get for it, but who we become by it. At the age of 17, I decided that I would read, file, and begin to prepare lessons. From that simple discipline I accumulated a wealth of content that fueled my speaking and writing. I never set out to be a leadership specialist; I was simply diligent about reading, filing, and studying. With respect to personal growth, take the long view on results. The most important question to ask is not “What am I getting?” from the discipline of personal growth, the most important question is, “Who am I becoming?”

4. Take responsibility for your own growth.
For 15 to 20 years, the school system holds us responsible for growth. Educational curriculum clearly spells out, “here’s what you do next,” and “here’s the next step.” Then we graduate with diplomas and certificates, and we no longer have anyone to map out the next step for us. If we want to continue growing, we have to do it ourselves. We have to put together a game plan so that we become students of life who are always expanding our minds and drawing upon our experiences.

5. Determine the areas of your life in which you need to grow.
You’ve probably heard someone say, “You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it.” Sadly, as nice as that sounds, it simply isn’t true. In watching people grow, I have discovered that, on a scale of 1-10, people can only improve about two notches. For instance, I love to sing; that’s the good news. The bad news is that I can’t carry a tune. Now, let’s be generous and say that, as a singer, I’m a “two.” If I put lots of money, effort, and energy into developing my voice, perhaps I can grow into a “four.” News flash: On a ten-point scale, four is still below average. With regards to my career, it would be foolish for me to focus my personal growth on my voice. At best, I’d only become an average singer, and no one pays for average.

Don’t work on your weaknesses. Devote yourself to fine-tuning your strengths. I work exceptionally hard on personal growth in four areas of my life. Why only four? Because I’m only good at four things. I lead, communicate, create, and network. That’s it. Outside of those areas, I’m not very valuable. However, within those areas of strength I have incredible potential to make a difference.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

The dropout with a doctorate

By John C. Maxwell Philippine Daily Inquirer A CLASS clown who devoted more time to sports than studies, Bill Cosby flunked the 10th grade and dropped out of high school to join the Navy. While rehabbing injured Korean War servicemen as a physical therapist, Cosby took note of the ethic of personal growth in his fellow navy men. In addition to fulfilling their duties as naval officers, many of his peers were also taking high-school and college courses via correspondence. As Cosby watched his friends struggle with schoolwork that he had no trouble comprehending, he came to two realizations. First, he had above-average intelligence. Second, he was committing a “mental sin” by wasting his intellectual talent. Resolved to make use of his smarts, Cosby enrolled in a distance-learning high-school program and gained his diploma. With a high-school degree in hand, Bill Cosby hoped to attend college after his four-year stint with the navy ended. His application impressed Temple University, and he gained admittance. Thanks to his exceptional athleticism (Cosby could run a 10.2 second, 100-yard dash), he was awarded a track and field scholarship. Although his tuition was paid for, Cosby took a job as a bartender to pay for his room and board. His wit and humor connected with customers who demanded to hear more of his jokes. As word spread about the comical bartender, Cosby began receiving opportunities to entertain audiences as a paid comedian. As his popularity grew, Cosby faced a choice: should he stay in school or pursue a career in comedy? He agonized over the choice, but decided to drop out of school for the second time in his life. He quickly attained fame, lining up performances across America in major cities, appearing on “The Tonight Show,” and recording a comedy album. Bill Cosby’s reputation jumped another level after he was cast in the espionage adventure, I Spy. As the show’s co-star, he captured three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Yet for Cosby, fame was never the endgame. While he enjoyed making people laugh, he felt motivated by a deeper responsibility. In particular, he was burdened by the plight of children who were poorly educated. In trying to figure out how he could contribute to education in America, Cosby felt the need to increase his understanding of how kids learn. So, as a celebrity in his mid-30s, Bill Cosby went back to school. Despite not having completed his undergraduate studies, the University of Massachusetts admitted Cosby based on the merit of his career accomplishments. Over the course of the 1970s, Bill Cosby earned his master’s degree and doctorate in education. Armed with newfound knowledge Cosby leveraged his talent like never before. He starred in the educational programs “Children’s Theater” (NBC) and “Electric Company” (PBS), hosted “Picture Pages” and “Wake Up” (CBS) and then, in the 1980s, produced and acted in one of the all-time great sitcoms, “The Cosby Show.” As “The Cosby Show” made its run, Cosby expanded his repertoire by developing his skills as an author. His comical yet poignant writing led to successful books on fatherhood, marriage, and childhood. Now in the twilight of his career, Cosby remains active, lobbying for educational reform and raising funds for educational charities. Summary The life story of Bill Cosby attests to the power of personal growth. Having neglected education early in life, in his 20s, Cosby dedicated himself to developing his potential. Getting his high-school degree put him back on track in life. Then, even after achieving stardom, Cosby felt compelled to sharpen his mind by going back to college. He didn’t rest on his success but kept pushing himself to grow. Later in life, he continued learning-gaining competence as a producer and author. How does contemplating Bill Cosby’s life impact you? Have you made a commitment to personal growth? Do you have a system to aid you in continual learning? Attend the “53rd Developing The Leader Within You” workshop with Maxwell-certified facilitator Francis Kong on Oct. 27-28 at the Edsa Shangrila Hotel. Call Inspire Leadership Consultancy at 687-2614/0917-8511115.Visit us at www.inspireleaders.com.ph. Add us on Facebook.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

Make Your Own Toothpaste

October 26, 2010, 4:46pm

Would you like to make your own toothpaste?

Here is a simple recipe, from Pioneer Thinking:

MINT TOOTHPASTE RECIPE

Ingredients:

* 6 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/3 teaspoon salt
* 4 teaspoons glycerin
* 15 drops peppermint or wintergreen extract

Directions: Mix thoroughly. Should be a tooth paste consistency. Store in a container. You'll be surprised with how fresh your mouth feels.

As a bonus, why don't you try gargling with a homemade mouthwash as well? From the same tutorial:

LEMON MOUTHWASH RECIPE

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup vodka
* 20 drops lemon essential oil
* 1 1/4 cup distilled water
* 30 drops bergamot essential oil

Directions: Combine the vodka with the essential oils in a bottle, shake well then allow to sit for 1 week. Shake once a day. When ready to use it , dilute the mix with 3 parts water/ 1 part mixture. Use it as a gargle or mouth rinse. Do Not Drink.

Source:

Pioneer Thinking

Traveling A-Z: Zamboanga

By VINCE G. LOPEZ

October 27, 2010, 11:18am

The colorful flowers around the province define the beauty of the province. More popularly known as the city of flowers, Zamboanga is one of the biggest provinces of the Philippines.

A charming and colorful culture welcomes the tourist as they arrive into the province eagerly awaiting a wonderful adventure in the Mindanao region. Known for its diversity of people and culture, Zamboanga ranks as the sixth most populous city in the country but is considerably not overpopulated as it is also the third largest province in Philippines.

Being one of the most populated provinces in the Philippines, Zamboanga has become the center of economic activities in Mindanao. The province takes pride in its transportation advancements with an international airport and modern seaport that cater to nearby provinces and neighboring countries.

From great diving escapes or a simple historical tour, the province has more than just one way of entertaining tourists. Its long bond with history makes it one of the most informational city tours in the country.

But more than just an educational destination, foreign tourists mainly go to Zamboanga for the numerous diving sites scattered along its coast. There are exactly 28 small islands along the province’s coast. The most prominent dive site in the province is the Santa Cruz Island which is famous for its colorful fish and corals.

Fast facts:

Local Dialect: Zambuangeño Chavakano,

Festivals:

Dia de Zamboanga – A commemorative celebration of President Quezon’s declaration of the province as a chartered city. Considered as Zamboanga’s foundation day, the festivity is celebrated on the 26th of February.

What to see:

Fort Pilar –created in the early 1600s, the place originally served as a garrison during the Spanish era but has now evolved into a museum and a shrine in honor of Our Lady of the Pillar, the Patron Saint of Zamboanga City.

Sta. Cruz Island – known for its pink white sand and the powdery white beach.

Dakak – One of the most famous beach resorts in the province and considered to be the best beach in Zamboanga.

Sinilog Island – One of the most admired destinations in the province and slowly emerging as one of the best dive sites in the country.

Pasonaca Park – Over a century old but continues to be one of the most visited parks in the province for its colorful flowers and plants.

Serenity Falls –A scenic falls located between Pamucutan and La Paz

Cawa Cawa Boulevard – the province’s own take on a relaxing view of sunset along the street.

How to get there:

Zamboanga’s port has a scheduled passenger trip Cotabato, Dipolog/Dapitan, General Santos, Pagadian, Jolo, Bongao, Isabela, Cebu, Dumaguete, Iloilo, Bacolod, Manila as well as neighboring countries. There are also direct flights to Zamboanga via major airlines from Manila.

Growing Old Before Becoming Rich

By BERNARDO VILLEGAS

October 28, 2010, 5:19pm

MANILA, Philippines – The poster child of the population control advocates is Thailand that has already a per capita income more than twice that of the Philippines. Without belittling the great accomplishments of our former non-identical twin, especially in the area of agribusiness, let me inform the Thai admirers that their idol will be the first country in the history of mankind to grow old before becoming rich. With a per capita of just about $4,000 per annum (compared to a rich country like Singapore that has $37,000 per capita income), 

Thailand is already aging faster than Singapore, whose leaders have been frantically trying to combat the ill effects of a demographic winter. Those over 65 years of age in Thailand comprise 8.7 % of the total population while it is only 8.3% in Singapore.

Rich countries like Japan, Italy, Spain, and the Scandinavian countries are having a hard time coping with their aging population. You can imagine what it will be like with a developing country like Thailand already burdened with too many retired people and not enough young people to support the aging and to constitute a dynamic consumer market. That is why, in the list of emerging markets crafted by the economists of Goldman Sachs, 

Thailand is excluded while Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines (VIP) are among the so-called Next Eleven (N-11) after the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Although Thailand has a large population, the rapid aging of its people does not make it an attractive emerging market during the next 20 years.

This should make economists who have been systematically comparing Thailand and the Philippines to show the benefits of population control to reconsider their position. Their analysis lacks a theoretical framework. They make an oversimplistic inference. If the Philippine population, they say, had grown as slowly as Thailand over a 25-year period, the Philippine GDP would be four times greater than what it actually is. This is Arithmetic, not Economics. Let me explain.

Thailand's GDP grew much faster than that of the Philippines because of the very enlightened policies of its leaders — inspired by a king with a magnificent obsession for agriculture — of endowing its countryside with excellent infrastructures, e.g. farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, post-harvest facilities, etc.

 As early as the 1980s, there was no small farm in the most remote areas of Thailand that was not within one kilometer from a good road. During that same period, we were still obsessed with inward-looking, import-substitution, 

ultra-nationalistic industrialization which dragged our economy down to become the "sick man of Asia in the mid-1980s. Thailand made its farmers rich by providing them with efficient infrastructures. Our farmers got poorer and poorer (70 percent of the poor in the Philippines are in the rural areas).

Richer farmers mean less dependence on a large family for farmwork. I find no statistical evidence from the population control advocates that would show that it was the birth-control program that was the primary reason for the deceleration of population growth in Thailand. I maintain that it was the enlightened economic policies that led to a steep fertility decline. 

Even with a lackluster economic performance and ineffective family planning programs, the Philippines saw its fertility rate drop from 6 babies per fertile woman in 1975 to 3.1 in 2008. Without an aggressive population control program, the Thais could have succeeded in bringing down its population growth through the usual forces of later marriages, urbanization of the population, and the education of women (Thailand has one of the highest literacy rates of females in Asia).

 With very aggressive population control, what Thailand achieved was to overshoot the decline way below replacement level. This is why, its population is aging prematurely. It is becoming old before getting rich, a very dangerous combination. And if China does not modify its one-child policy soon, it may be the second country after Thailand to grow old before it grows rich (see International Herald Tribune, October 16-17, p. 12).

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

For comments, my e-mail address is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.

Jollibee buys fast-food chain in China

3rd restaurant acquisition for local group

By Doris Dumlao

Filed Under: Restaurants & catering, business, Company Information, Mergers - Acquisitions - Takeovers

Most Read

MANILA, Philippines—Local fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. is taking over a majority stake in 34-store Chinese food chain San Pin Wang in South China, its third restaurant brand in the mainland.

JFC, through its wholly owned subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte Ltd., disclosed Wednesday a deal to acquire from its existing Chinese partner 55 percent of Guanxi San Ping Wang Food and Beverage Management Co. Ltd., which operates the San Pin Wang beef noodle business for 30 million renminbi (P195 million).

The agreement with the Chinese partner, Guangxi Zong Kai Food Beverage Investment Co. Ltd. (GZK), is subject to completion of certain conditions, the company told the Philippine Stock Exchange.

San Pin Wang is a fast-food chain serving Chinese cuisine, primarily low-priced beef noodles. Its 34 stores are located mostly in Nanning City in Guang Xi Province in South China.

JFC said this agreement was in line with the framework agreed upon with GZK last April for the eventual joint ownership of San Pin Wang. Upon closing, while JFC’s unit will own 55 percent of the business, GZK will keep a 45-percent stake.
Apart from the RMB 30 million that JFC will shell out to acquire the 55-percent stake, it will jointly invest with GZK another RMB 20 million (P130 million) for the expansion of the food chain. The joint venture is expected to be operational within the first quarter of 2011, the disclosure said.

The Jollibee group presently owns and operates two food businesses in China—Yonghe King, which was acquired in 2004, and Hong Zhuang Yuan, which was bought in 2008. As of end-September, the two businesses combined had a total of 236 stores and accounted for 12 percent of JFC’s worldwide sales in the third quarter. The group has 1,953 stores across the globe.

JFC is ramping up its overseas expansion despite the global economic uncertainties. It is aiming to jack up the share of offshore sales to 50 percent in about eight years. Its international strategy is to bring the Jollibee, Chowking and Red Ribbon brands to markets with heavy concentration of overseas Filipinos and expand in fast-growing markets such as China by acquiring homegrown brands and expanding them.

The group operates the Philippines’ biggest food-service network. As of September, it had 1,578 stores in the country—703 under the Jollibee brand, 404 under Chowking, 218 under Greenwich and 215 under Red Ribbon. Delifrance and Manong Pepe’s had 23 and 15, respectively. JFC has since then signed a deal to give up the Delifrance franchise.

When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer