RP ampalaya goes global

Herbcare Corp., the company that commercialized the use of ampalaya (bitter melon) as a therapeutic product against diabetes (a growing malaise here and abroad) has conquered not just the Philippine market but Europe, the Middle East, Korea and the US, where it is currently being pushed.

In early 2001, Herbcare entered the European market, where the movement to go natural and organic had been strong thereby making the ampalaya’s (scientific name is momordica charantia) entry a lot easier, said Herbcare chairman Lito M. Abelarde.

In 2002, Abelarde visited Europe, particularly Austria, Vienna and Italy, where he was pleased to find out how well the markets had been accepting Philippine ampalaya.

In 2003, the company got entangled in a heated debate with local pharmaceutical companies and health authorities, who tried to discredit its claim on the beneficial effects of ampalaya on diabetic sufferers. After nearly a year of the controversy, the company was allowed to push its products as "merely a food supplement" which Abelarde said "we have been doing all along since we launched our tea bags, loose bits and capsules in January 2000."

When the company started in 2000, it was importing all its ampalaya flowers from Vietnam. Now the company is sourcing its raw materials from local farmers and plans to enter into contract growing arrangements with farmers, with the company providing the seeds, technology and other inputs and promising to buy the entire output of farmer/cooperators at a contracted price.

Its latest market openings were those in Korea and the Middle East, targeting not just ethnic groups but more the locals in the place.

The company started intro-ducing its products in the in late 2005 but since the preparation for commercial launch takes a long period, its formal introduction in supermarkets and convenience stores will only commence late this March.

The older Abelarde handed over the management of the company to his eldest son, Daniel (now Herbcare president and general manager), and chose to do the marketing and promotions of Charantia abroad. Herbcare has a US partner-firm, which toll manufactures the capsules and tea bags and another company that does the product display stand for supermarkets. This arrangement has made it more convenient and faster for Herbcare to enter the US market without going through the rigorous standards of US Food and Drug Administration and its health agencies.