Today’s diners are now showing a greater appreciation for farming techniques, local sourcing, local varieties of produce and heirloom products. With Filipinos becoming more conscious of what they eat and where their food comes from, more diners are looking to local restaurants to bring them the best of homegrown produce, dishes, and cuisines.
For casual dining restaurant operator Max’s Group Inc., this ongoing shift in dining behavior has prompted the company to launch and grow a direct-to-farm program.
For the past three years, MGI has been working with Agap Farmers Association in Pangil, Laguna, Bonena Cooperative in Nueva Ecija and Fresh Crop Cooperative in Benguet to sell vegetables to MGI for use in their restaurants.
The program has sourced over 366,713 metric tons of select vegetables in 2018 alone because of MGI and its partner farmers and cooperatives’ commitment to mutual support.
“As a leading casual dining operator, Max’s Group believes that we serve our best to our diners when we make use of the local produce and at the same time help stimulate productivity among our partner farmers,” said MGI director Carolyn Salud.
“Championing Filipino cuisine all starts with bringing out the best in our local farming communities,” Salud said.
With factors such as greater competition and climate change impacting their livelihood, the MGI program could not come any sooner for small-scale farmers and agricultural cooperatives.
Through the program, MGI provides advice and assistance to small-scale farmers and agriculture cooperatives specifically in crop production so that they will be able to supply fresh produce to MGI’s restaurants for a fair price, allowing them to earn a living and sustain their farms for future cycles.
Faced with the challenge of meeting short lead times and delivering quality produce consistently, the farmers and their cooperatives decided to invest in technical knowledge, transportation, warehousing, and operations to help shift the mindset of their group and deliver on their respective commitments.
“Max’s Group expects us to provide sufficient supplies and continuous deliveries, so we had to invest in regular monitoring, updates, and follow-ups to the farmers and conducting farm visits regularly. We provided production loans to our farmers to make it easier for them to start a new farming cycle,” said Agap Farmers Association representative Jocery Pueblo.
“We also organized training sessions and seminars on farming technology with seed companies and the local government and mentoring sessions so that the farmers approach it as a business,” Pueblo said.
The partnership encouraged the cooperatives to professionalize their operations and set up the infrastructure to meet MGI’s requirements and eventually its other market requirements.
“For our group, we set up seminars on entrepreneurship and business management to help our colleagues cope with the demands of our clients. We also purchased trucks to accommodate the growth and set up earlier delivery times and a satellite warehouse in Valenzuela to avoid traffic and deliver on time,” said Bonena Cooperative president Israel Reguyal.
While the program has helped farmers from Agap Farmers Association, Bonena Cooperative and Fresh Crop Cooperative earn a decent amount, the representatives from these three groups also noted that the program allowed them to find pride and fulfillment in their work, and gave them the confidence to continue pursuing agriculture as a stable source of livelihood.
“After partnering with MGI, our farmers have become more enthusiastic about their work. We are no longer just working, but we are working to help more farmers uplift their lives,” said Pueblo.
With MGI looking to source more of its produce from small-scale farms and cooperatives, the company hopes to replicate its success across more farming communities across the country.
“Farmers are the backbone of our work. Through this program, we hope to empower small-scale farmers, bring more local produce to our customers, and instill a greater sense of pride and responsibility across our supply chain,” said Salud.