Veggie bakery products a delicious success

ALCALA, Pangasinan, Philippines — Veggie pan de sal, anyone? 

The women of the Rosal Self-Employment Assistance Kaunlaran Association are enjoying brisk sales of their inexpensive yet very nutritious baked products – including pan de sal, cookies, cupcakes and even noodles – made of vegetables like malunggay, saluyot, squash, carrots and kamote. 

The community-based bakery was recently granted another loan of P565,000 by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as well as P50,000 from Mayor Manuel Collado to expand their business and to meet the demands of their growing clientele.

Collado said since July is celebrated as Nutrition Month nationwide, he has contracted the group to supply the snacks of schoolchildren, particularly in the day care centers in all the 21 barangays of the town.

“This is much better for the kids. Aside from being nutritious, it is also cheap,” Collado said.

Pan de sal is sold at P2 and P5 depending size. The group also produces cupcakes at P5 and P10, mixed with powderized vegetables. Fifty percent of the ingredients is vegetables. 

“It’s very delicious,” Collado said, adding that every time the municipal government has affairs, he orders these products for the people’s snacks.

The group has undergone several training modules and has proven its credit worthiness by repaying in full its initial P150,000 loan from the DSWD.

After only a year of operation, the group has many orders from client-schools with an average daily production of up to 800 pieces.

Collado said the local government has earned the trust of the DSWD because of the 98 percent repayment rate of their beneficiary-groups in the town for the loan provision program. He added that the local government also provides counterpart funds.

“This way, we are hitting two birds with one stone – giving employment and attending to the nutrition of our children,” Collado said.