Ostrich-breeding firm spreading its wings

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Ostrich in the Year of the Goat?

Who would have thought that at a very young age of 26, Heintje Lim is already an accomplished and successful entrepreneur, breeding the world’s largest, albeit flightless bird — the ostrich.

It all started with crocodiles. Could ostriches be born from crocodiles? Of course not! But Heintje’s dream for a business started with raising crocodiles for commercial purposes.

During his elementary years, he always read books about crocodiles, fascinated as he was with these predators. In 1986, his father went to the Crocodile Farm Institute in Palawan to buy crocodiles for breeding. But nothing came of it until 1995 when his father went back to the crocodile farm and applied for contract growing.

As a businessman, Heintje’s father attended the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) meet in Davao City on July 28, 1996. There, he met an Australian delegate who brought along three pairs of ostriches. Fascinated by the large birds, his father bought them and brought them home to Cagayan de Oro.

"It was purely a shot in the dark. We didn’t know anything about ostriches although I’ve read books on them," Heintje says. Then in August 1996, the birds laid their first egg. From that first egg grew what is now a successful 10-hectare ostrich-breeding farm somewhere in the municipality of Opol in Misamis Oriental that is now home to more than 300 birds.

But prior to his dad’s bringing home three pairs of these large birds, Heintje had met two Canadian ostrich farmers in China when he went there in May 1996 to watch the opening of the Yangtze River Gorge Dam.

Industry pioneer

That meeting proved to be providential. Through their regular communications, the Canadian breeders helped Heintje in his growing company, the Philippine Ostrich and Crocodile Farms Inc., which the young chief executive officer says, is "pioneering the ostrich industry in the Philippines."

The Philippine Ostrich and Crocodile Farms Inc. is accredited by the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Meat Inspection Commission of the Department of Agriculture.

But the company’s start was not so well. Although the first egg was successfully laid on Aug. 30, 1996, it did not hatch due to poor facilities and mishandling. Gaining valuable lessons from this experience, the company upgraded its facilities, procuring computerized hatching and incubating equipment.

These improvements yielded the first live chick in February 1997. Heintje also underwent a month’s hands-on training in ostrich farming in Australia.

As the company grew, Heintje’s fascination with the large birds also heightened that in July 1997, the company imported nine more pairs or 18 ostriches from Texas. On Dec. 23, 1997, the first bird was slaughtered and its meat sold to fine-dining restaurants in Cagayan de Oro, particularly the Cagayanon Restaurant at the Limketkai Complex. Then in January 1998, the company started selling Big Bird Ostrich Meat in Manila.

No turning back

From then on, there was no turning back for Heintje and his growing ostrich-breeding company, especially so with the growing demand for his birds for breeding and the company’s trademark premium product, Big Bird Ostrich Meat, which the public has learned to accept.

As Heintje explains in his company’s website (www.ostrich.com.ph), "The public has easily accepted ostrich meat because of its taste and high nutrition value, i.e. low cholesterol and low fat content. It is comparable to beef in providing iron and protein supplements. Significantly, ostrich meat has less than half the fat of chicken and two thirds less fat than beef and pork. It beats the competition with fewer calories too. That’s why Big Bird Ostrich Meat is the choice of health-conscious consumers who refuse to sacrifice flavor."

According to the United States Department of Agriculture and Australian Office of Agriculture, ostrich meat has far more nutritional and health benefits for humans compared to other meats (chicken, turkey, beef, pork and veal).

According to Heintje, Big Bird Ostrich Meat is "hygienically processed and vacuumed-packed," thus retaining valuable nutrients. It is classified as red meat and "is very similar in taste, texture and appearance to beef."

He adds that ostrich meat "is versatile and responds well to any cooking method. Due to its natural tenderness, it requires less cooking time and adapts easily to most recipes."

"A pound of lean meat can be cooked in about 10 minutes although higher temperature will be required for most juicy results. The meat comes with no bone, no fat to trim and has very little shrinkage when cooked. A serving size of 100 to 140 grams of ostrich meat is recommended, as it is very filling due to its high protein content."

Growing market demand

Big Bird Ostrich Meat is only sold at leading supermarkets and deli shops nationwide, although market demand for it is growing. And ever the one to grab at an opportunity, Heintje discloses that they "are now developing new markets because we have the capacity to supply. We are expanding right now."

The company now supplies ostrich meat to most restaurants and hotels in Cagayan de Oro City, where it has five outlets, and 20 restaurants and hotels in Manila. However, he says that "mass acceptability" of ostrich meat is still very small but this is because "they have not yet tried it."

At present, the Philippine Ostrich and Crocodile Farms Inc. slaughters at least 30 ostriches a month to satisfy market demand for Big Bird Ostrich Meat. While the price can be a little steep for ordinary wage earners as the young CEO candidly admits, all they have to do is think of the nutritional value they could get from eating ostrich meat.

And unlike other meat products, Big Bird Ostrich Meat can be kept frozen for up to three months without noticeable changes in texture and taste.

Heintje says the Philippines has the capacity to export ostrich meat if only it has the needed facilities to process it for export, especially to Hong Kong, the world’s top consumer of ostrich meat and ostrich products.

The Philippine Ostrich and Crocodile Farms Inc. not only sells Big Bird Ostrich Meat, it also sells everything that the bird has — feathers, skin, eggs, nails, etc.

Heintje explains that from the feathers, buyers could make dusters for computers because ostrich feathers are non-static. They could also be used for ati-atihan costumes, among other uses. The skin or hide is very good for shoes, bags and belts when treated well.

Ostrich nails could be used as jewelry items because it is very tough. And the two-millimeter-thick egg, which weighs an average of 1.68 kilograms, could be, well, cooked (scrambled, sunny-side up, etc.). And the egg takes two hours to boil!

But the company does not sell scrambled ostrich eggs because it hatches them after a 42-day incubation period at a temperature of 95.7 degrees Fahrenheit. The chicks are then sold to breeders, the number of which is also growing in the country. Unhatched eggs (bugok) are sold to buyers for decorative items.

Interesting bird An ostrich (Struthio camelus of the Class Aves and Order Struthioniformes from the Family Struthionidae) has a heart that weighs an average of one kilo and a liver that weights an average of four kilos, and requires at least two kilos of feeds daily.

But breeding them is not the problem, says Heintje. This is because ostriches, which are common in the wilds of East Africa, thrive in the open, desert or arid areas, and dry savannahs. They feed on fruits, seeds, leaves, shoots, shrubs and succulent plants, as well as on invertebrates, occasionally lizards, and small vertebrates. They also ingest stones to aid in digestion.

Ostriches are the largest and heaviest living birds. They are unable to fly and do not possess a keeled sternum (breastbone) common to most birds. This is a characteristic they share with emus, rheas and cassowaries.

Ostriches have super strong wings which they use to attract the females, like many other birds. During hot weather, they lift and fan their wings to cool themselves down; when it gets cold, they cover their thighs with their wings to keep warm.

They do well in captivity and may live up to 70 years in or out of the wild. They can achieve speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour (40 mph), can reach anywhere from 16 to 23 feet per stride and can outpace most pursuers, such as lions, leopards and hyenas.

They are the fastest two-legged animals. If cornered, they can deliver powerful blows with their legs, their main defense against natural enemies. They only have two toes on each foot. Powerful legs, flexible knees and supple, two-toed feet are its adaptations for speed.

Ostriches can grow to an approximate height of 2.75 meters (nine feet) and can weigh up to 156.5 kilograms (345 pounds). Its males are jet black with white plumage and bright red or blue skin, while the females are fairly uniform in color, with earthy gray-brown plumage and skin color.

Ostriches stretch out their neck and lay their head on the ground to keep themselves from being seen, hence the myth that ostriches hide in the sand. A female ostrich shows a remarkable ability to recognize her own eggs even when mixed with those of other females in their communal nest.

Male ostriches have a height of six to nine feet, while the females stand 5.5 to 6.5 feet tall. At breeding time, the male collects a harem of two to five females. One female scrapes a shallow pit in the ground in which to lay her eggs, and the rest probably use the same nest. The eggs are the biggest laid by any bird. The male ostrich takes over the incubation of the eggs at night and shares in the care of the young.

Ecology and conservation Humans have had a close relationship with ostriches for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians bred ostrich and present-day breeding, which began in 1833, is run in much the same way.

Ostrich feathers have been used for adornment by humans for at least 5,000 years, and bushmen are still using the eggs as jewelry and receptacles for carrying water.

Extensive hunting for ostrich feathers, meat and skin, coupled with overgrazing by domestic animals on their habitat, has led to the near-extinction of ostriches from the Middle East to North and South Africa. Although they are not globally threatened, the four ostrich subspecies require strict protection, and farming has helped to conserve the wild population.

Now, looking closely at the years when Heintje dreamt and started his company, you would notice that Buddha’s pets were there with him: 1986 (Year of the Tiger), when his father went to the Crocodile Farm Institute in Palawan; 1996 (Year of the Rat), when their first birds were bought; and 2003 (Year of the Goat), when the company is opening up new markets for its products.