Pure honey is one of the bestsellers from Dad’s Organic Farm in Sunset Drive, Lahug. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Pure honey is not only a healthy alternative to sugar, but is also used as moisturizer and is known for its healing properties.
Dad’s Organic Farm, a backyard business owned and managed by the de Jesus family at their residence in Sunset Drive in barangay Lahug, capitalizes on the commercial potentials of honey.
Isan de Jesus, a 23-year-old BA Mass Communications graduate of the University of the Philippines Cebu, said they started the business in 2007 by establishing a bee farm with 8 colonies.
Five years later, they have come up with a line of beauty products and other by-products.
“It’s easy to have bees in the city as long as you live in an area that’s surrounded with plants. The plants make it easy for our bees to thrive,” Isan said.
Production, however, was seasonal.
“Sometimes, in three months, there’s honey. Sometimes, there isn’t. So we have to ration our honey for us to be able to sell every month,” Isan said.
“But now, we can sustain the flow. Customers can buy from us any time of the year. But in some months, honey could still get scarce. You can never be sure of the amount of honey you can get,” she said.
The family now has around 40 colonies of bees.
Isan’s mother is in charge of manufacturing their beauty products while Isan designs the packaging.
Her parents collect the honey themselves while 5 workers help in the production process.
“Our target markets are people who want to start living organic, those who want to get into a healthy lifestyle. With this organic trend right now, everyone wants to stay healthy,” Isan said.
Through word of mouth and social media, the de Jesus has been able to successfully run their small business.
“We are looking for ways to make it more convenient for customers to buy our products. That’s why I deliver it to them most of the time through meet-ups,” Isan said.
Their most in-demand product is the pure honey.
Isan said customers love how they can use it on their face as moisturizer, or as a sweetener. Honey is also good for treating sore throat and cough. It is also known for its antibacterial properties, Isan added.
Their most expensive product is the bee pollen capsule, which is sold in a small bottle containing 80 capsules. One bottle is sold for P640.
The bee farm is located just behind their house in Sunset Drive, Lahug. The de Jesus family may be reached at https://www.facebook.com/DadsOrganicFarm or through mobile number 0922-8750700./ Bianca Genosa, PIT Intern
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