Phl's 1st organic veggie farm is now 21 and still growing

Manila, Philippines - Last April, the Philippines’ first organic vegetable farm, Gourmet’s Farm, celebrated its 21st year in business with a tree-planting event at their farm site in Silang, Cavite.

Owner Ernest Escaler and his 186 employees planted 320 trees along the perimeter of the farm where vegetables and culinary herbs are grown without any chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

It was in the late 1980s when Escaler first came up with the idea of putting up an organic farm in the Philippines. “I wanted to introduce the Filipino to a healthier lifestyle,” he says. In those days, vegetable salads as we know them were practically non-existent in the Philippines, and organic farming was completely unheard of.

Escaler’s organic vegetable farm went in full operation early 1990. “I started growing lettuce and tried to see if we could sell it,” he says.

He couldn’t. At that time, the Filipino palate was not used to such “bland” vegetables as the leaf lettuce. “We were growing a lot of produce and were just giving them away to the religious houses and charities in the area,” Escaler recalls.

To give people a chance to sample the vegetables, Escaler decided to put up a restaurant. Thus, Gourmet’s Café, a small 15-seater restaurant, was born. And as word about the restaurant spread, people came flocking.

Today, Gourmet’s Farm is a sprawling 10-hectare land where different kinds of lettuce, local vegetables, and culinary herbs such rosemary, thyme, tarragon, dill, parsley and coriander are grown. And while some farms choose which crops to plant based on what is most profitable, Gourmet’s Farm’s crops are chosen on just two criteria: what the farmer likes to eat and what the land would let grow.

While that may sound like an unscientific approach for many, this Atenean explains, “It’s a hobby. And with all due respect to science, the truth is, at the end of the day, it’s still The Guy Up There who decides what grows and what doesn’t.”

Escaler’s business methods seem to be working. So far, he has turned the original 15-seater café into a two-story chalet, and he has also been able to expand his coffee bean factory, which produces another best-selling Gourmet’s Farm product: high-quality roasted coffee beans. “Plantersbank fully financed that,” Escaler relates. “They really helped us grow.”

His future plans, however, do not include further expansion. “What we really want,” he says, “is to be a model farm. If anybody wants to train with us, we’re open to teaching them for free.

“This is part of our advocacy,” he explains. “We try to give employment to people, help them be more productive, improve their income. After all,” he concludes, “what are we here for if not to help each other?”

To learn more about Gourmet Farm or to inquire about trainings or field trips, you may call 843-8311 or visit their Web site at www.gourmet.com.ph.