Cebuana entrepreneurs open all-organic store in Mandaue

CEBU, Philippines - Five Cebuana entrepreneurs have pooled their resources together to establish the first all organic, all-Filipino-made store, to take advantage of the growing preference for “green lifestyle”.

As their thrust is to promote Filipino-made organic products, the opening of the “We Love Organics” store in Mandaue City is aimed at providing affordable “green” goods to the mainstream market.

At present, “We Love Organics” offers several natural or organic items, from home and beauty care, food products, food supplement, among others.

Pamela R. Pegarido, Josine Mary Marzo, Abigail Lao, Reyna Tio, and Germalyn Merguito, invested at least P500 thousand to start off with their noble business, with a primary thrust of making sustainable lifestyle achievable to all by offering quality, yet pocket-friendly organic products all across market segment.

“We felt we could do more with our strength combined,” said Marzo, We Love Organics Corporation in-charge for operations.

While there are a lot of groups claiming to sell organic products, Marzo said the group observes strict policies to see to it that the manufacturing process and ingredients are truly derived from organic products or natural process to establish credibility of their store.

Although, there are already several businesses that have started to offer all-organic products offering, Marzo said the group is aiming to hit the mainstream market by their continues look out of Filipino-developed products, which are health-friendly and reasonably priced.

The store, located at the ground floor of Orchard Hotel on A.S. Fortuna Street, in Mandaue City, is making the Human Heart Nature brand, as its flagship products.

Human Heart Nature products made by a social enterprise called Gandang Kalikasan, Inc. (GKI) is now gaining popularity among health-conscious Filipinos and foreigners, while helping the rural farmers improved their livelihood resources.

According to Pegarido, some of her partners including her, had to leave their corporate jobs to focus on this venture, while also giving in to their passion to promote sustainable lifestyle, amid the threat of dangerous effect on global warming, and deceases brought about by chemical being put in basic necessity products now a days.

Pegarido, who used to be a banker, left her promising job to focus on what she described as “small [but fulfilling] business.”

The five ladies are now serious on pursuing their personal advocacy on introducing “sustainable lifestyle” to the present generation and to the next.

Besides, they also believe on GKI’s thrust to provide health-friendly products to Filipinos, without hurting their pockets.

At present, “We Love Organics” store, is also promoting several organic brands made by Filipinos, such as home care organic products manufactured by Plantex Solutions Manufacturing Corporation, GIGA (God Is Good All-the-time) organic beauty care items, Cebuano-made DGK Vegetables and Fruits Extract food supplement, Home-made food stuff derived from natural ingredients, among others.

“We hope that through this venture, we may be able to strongly promote healthy lifestyle, and support entrepreneurship undertaking of ordinary Filipinos, whose quality products are not well promoted due to financial constraints,” Pegarido said.

These five women hopes to open similar outlets in the future, as the market demanding for health and environment-friendly products will increase significantly.