RP calamansi juice a hit in US, South Korea

Calamansi, or Philippine lemon, which is commonly used as base for natural fruit juice, condiment or bar mixer, has successfully penetrated two big foreign countries in its bid to get a share of the growing market for tropical fruits and their derivatives.

Nutri-licious Foods Corp. (NFC), one of the country's leading manufacturers and suppliers of premium fruit beverages and processed fruits, has been exporting since 1999 to the United States and this year to South Korea substantial quantities of calamansi concentrate with honey in ready-to-drink form.

According to Joseph Elmer Reyes, NFC industrial sales and export manager, the calamansi concentrate exports to the US find their way to hundreds of Filipino stores across continental America where they are popular among thousands of Filipino residents.

The calamansi exports to South Korea, on the other hand, fill big orders of retail establishments such as groceries and supermarkets, where calamansi is slowly gaining acceptance among South Koreans because of its pleasant, sweet and tart flavor.

Another indication of the growing popularity of the tropical fruit was the numerous inquiries received by the NFC export mission led by NFC president Rogelio Nemeño at its booth at the recently-concluded Japan Food Expo 2000 at the Makuhari Convention Center in Tokyo.

Calamansi fruit drink, which is pasteurized extract with honey, is made from mature, sound, firm and half-ripe calamansi (Citrus microcarpa burge) grown extensively in the orhards and farms of Batangas and Mindoro in Southern Tagalog.

In the domestic market, calamansi is processed and distributed by NFC in the form of marmalade fruit, drink and concentrate, which are used as marinade, base for natural fruit juice and drinks as bar mixers.

It joins a variety of other processed indigenous fruits such as mango, buco, ube, pineapple, banana and papaya which are supplied by NFC to the country's major desserts, pastry fillings, toppings and bakery products.