Interesting Finds at the 2010 Kahimunan Trade Fair 1
The Kahimunan Trade Fair that took place during the 2010 Kagay-an Festival introduced interesting products that many will find worth their time and money. These products come from different parts of Northern Mindanao.
Below are some of the products and companies that we found truly worthy.
The Stoneware Pottery, Inc
Those who are avid collectors of clay vases and ceramics will be delighted with what The Stoneware Pottery has to offer. Most of their products on display are sets of crockery and decorative ceramics. The unique appearance of the pottery is what draws in the people’s attention. The ceramics don’t have the typical, brown, crumbly appearance of the pottery that is mass produced and sold in the markets. The Stoneware Pottery’s ceramics have a sophisticated and elegant appearance that brings to mind the wooden cupboards, stone hearths, large kitchens and thick soups served in traditional European manors.
Indeed, the raw materials and methodology used by the company originates from Germany. The clay is imported from Westerwald, a German city known for its rich deposits of high quality stoneware clay. The finished products are then exported back to Europe where a steady and wide market for ceramic crockery awaits.
Stoneware Pottery mainly produces kitchenware, tableware and ornamental ceramics. It is owned by Mr. Clemens Wirth, a German who brought the business to the Philippines, where labor is cheap but the workmanship is excellent. The business ran steadily for 15 years, with a growing clientele in several hotels in Davao City, Cebu City (including Marco Polo Hotel, Shangri La Hotel, and Gaisano Grand hotels) and Metro Manila.
Here in CDO they supply kitchenware, dining utensils and ornaments to several high-end restaurants such as the tourist-favorite Kagay-anon Restaurant, Bigby’s Café, Consuelos and Green Haven Vegetarian Restaurant. Although they have a steady flow of orders coming in from Europe and the United States, they also hope to widen their local client base by attending various trade fairs around the country.
The factory is located at Zone 8, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City. It employs 18 workers who all have a strong background in pottery. They are well trained in the traditional methods of pottery: free forming clay using a potter’s wheel, glazing (to give different colors and shine to the ceramics) and cooking the formed clay in a kiln. Because of this meticulous process, each piece of Stoneware Pottery is guaranteed to be unique and truly one of a kind.
“In all of my fifteen years of joining trade fairs and product exhibits for ceramic and pottery businesses, I have seen none that is similar to what we produce,” says company manager Ms. Imelda Elcano. Besides using the traditional pottery methods, the glaze that is applied on their products is also unique. It was developed by the German owners of the company themselves, a trade secret that is not known to any other pottery business in the country.
Although the company does not have a commercial outlet, customers visit the factory to check out the products. The Stoneware Pottery entertains orders for personalized pieces, such as engravings of names and company logos. These are often ordered to be given away in weddings and as corporate gifts. They also produce customized ceramics for commercial establishments, usually for use in restaurants. Because of the inherent uniqueness of each piece, they are also sold by piece. The prices (in a range of P75 – P60,000) depend on the size and intricacy of the design. You can be sure that with all the attention given to each piece of pottery, each is truly worth every peso.
-Jay Daphne Bual-
Gapnud Collections and Lanao del Norte’s Housewares
One can’t help but be charmed by the numerous products on display in the stalls. One stall, occupied by Lanao del Norte, showcased several houseware goods that can definitely add art to anyone’s home.
I was captivated by several items designed eclectically from letter openers to chairs, clocks to lamps. I could imagine them arranged in the living room of my home, and I felt their presence providing the vibrancy that gives warmth to one’s home. No wonder foreigners are so into indigenous furniture!
The salesperson told me that the goods were crafted by four establishments situated in Iligan, Gapnud Designs, Iligan Rattan, Konus and BTRC. I turned my attention over to one of their bigger displays. Just behind the rattan-woven steel chair, there stood a lamp made from Molave wood. It was glazed in brown and stood irregularly, shaped like a tree trunk.
It was peculiar for a lampshade to have little chunks of wood embedded on its surface. I read the tag and couldn’t understand what was written at first. I gave a closer look, and there was something familiar about chunks of wood with hole. Then the guy approached and said, “‘Balay sa Anay-inlay’ ang pagbasa ana” [“That says ‘Termite’s nest-inlay”]. “A termite’s nest?”
I asked him if this item was also made by various designers. The man confidently replied, “Ako ang nag-design ani sir,” [“I designed this sir”]. Talk about more surprises! Hedelito Lorente, the designer and owner of Gapnud Collections has been running his crafts and furniture business since 2005. His wife, Sally Lorente, manages the business. Mr. Lorente specializes in designing furniture, home and garden accessories – predominantly driftwood. Gapnud Collections is well known in Iligan.
Mr. Lorente showed me a portfolio of his works, and one of the most captivating décors he showed me was the carved version of the Last Supper. Aside from the banking on the wood’s quality for artistic display, Mr. Lorente also elaborated that driftwood is naturally bug-free and waterproof.
Gapnud’s main man also gave me brief information about the other products owned by Lanao Norte manufacturers.
BTRC, Bamboo Technology Resource Center, specializes in crafting bamboo for furniture, home furnishings and other decorative items. Since it’s made out of bamboo, you can expect the goods made by BTRC to be very durable and at par with the more common type of hardwood. Some of the items they crafted and displayed in the trade fair include plaques, boxes, lamps, souvenir items, baskets and candle holders. They also displayed bamboo letter openers that were shaped like a knife.
Bamboo decorations and flooring are becoming quite popular in the United States. One of the main reasons is that bamboo is a renewable source, which means it doesn’t attract demands of raw bamboo goods. Mr. Lorente reveals that the flooring of one of California’s biggest markets, the Whole Foods Market in Los Altos, is made out of bamboo.
Konus and Iligan Rattan also showcased a collection of clocks and lamps made out of local raw materials. The products boast of world class quality.
As for the prices, the Bamboo Letter Opener is the cheapest while the lamps are priced a little higher at around Php7,500. Not so bad, considering the fact that you are buying a world class item.
If you want the trendiest and most cost-efficient houseware, try out Lanao Del Norte’s unique products.
-Mark Anthony Daposala-
San Roque Handmade Paper Products Multi-Purpose Cooperative
San Roque Handmade Paper Products Multi-Purpose Cooperative and its livelihood project, Dayawan Handmade, displayed their noteworthy and unique handcrafted paper products in the 2010 Kahimunan Trade Fair.
Based in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, San Roque is a different kind of paper products distributor. The company doesn’t have an official brick and mortar outlet for its products; rather, the items are made when an order comes. The cooperative mostly sells its items in bulk, so ordering only one item might take some negotiation. In addition to this, while the paper crafts are sold locally, many of their products are exported to Germany. Now that’s what I call world class!
How It All Began
It all started in 2004 when STEAG State Power Inc (SPI) started a program that would educate ten women from San Roque Village, Dayawan in Villanueva on how to produce novelty items from paper and other indigenous materials. These women eventually mastered the skill of handcrafting paper, and eventually, the COOP expanded to include 32 families. Today, the organization continues to promote women empowerment, as well as goodwill through every paper-based product. In addition, the women and their families are given support in skills enhancement, health, education and spiritual development.
The Products
Every square inch of San Roque’s handcrafted paper products is filled with love and made by the artistic steady hands of San Roque residents. These products include:
-Greeting cards
-Paper bags
-Jewelry boxes
-Mug cases
-Notepads
-Japanese books
-Picture albums
The COOP also produces purses, sling bags and wallets.
Abaca is the main material. From the cards to the bags, everything is made of materials naturally occurring to the environment. What’s great about using abaca is that the fiber is so strong, making the paper crafts very durable. The greeting cards, for example, wouldn’t easily tear, and the paper bags can carry very heavy stuff, like a huge mug or a paperweight.
Also, everything is done by hand, from processing the abaca fibers to weaving, to packaging. So, you’re ensured of products that will last a lifetime. Of course, since they’re still made of paper, keep the items away from water and other liquids to prevent water damage.
Their products are nature-based materials; so it doesn’t get any greener than this. Oh wait, it does! Since the crafts are made of abaca fiber, paper rejects can be broken down to their fiber forms and processed again. This reusing process doesn’t leave room for any wasted material. Now that’s recycling at its finest.
Moreover, since the production is a long process and the items are sold in bulk, it takes a maximum of four months for the supplies to be finished.
The Organization
This livelihood project has been made possible thanks to the cooperation of the Couples for Christ (CFC) and the Gawad Kalinga (GK). Aside from SPI, the multi-purpose cooperative is also supported by Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA) and the government of Villanueva.
Thanks to the Department of Trade and Industry, San Roque became a part of Kahimunan Regional Trade for the third time in a row.
-Gillian Abonitalla-
BMAN’s VeeGee – Distributed by Bravo Unlimited
Everyone knows that healthy eating can point the way to a longer life. If you’ve decided to follow a more nutritious diet, start with VeeGee by BMAN Foods Philippines.
VeeGee is an instant energy powder mix that contains nutrients that will help you start your day. It has all the goodness of rice, corn, wheat, whole grain skinless soybeans, brown sugar, non-dairy creamer, moringga leaves, ampalaya, mangosteen, psyllium husk and coffee flavoring. Just one cup of VeeGee provides the best healthy solutions. It’s like Popeye’s spinach, Darna’s white stone or Green Lantern’s ring, all of which provide extra power and energy.
Created by BMAN and distributed by Bravo Unlimited, VeeGee was among the many products sold during the 2010 Kahimunan Trade Fair. Representatives of Bravo Unlimited did a great job in advertising the coffee-flavored nutritious treat. They even offered a free taste to anyone interested.
Here are some of the reasons why you need to buy VeeGee.
High Fiber Content
Fiber alone provides a wealth of health benefits. It can help you reduce weight because fibrous foods, also called hemicelluloses and cellulose, take up a considerable amount of space in the stomach, which makes you feel full, thereby preventing you from overeating.
Fiber is likewise good for digestion. It helps bowel movements go smoothly and waste products move quickly through the digestive tract. Thus, fiber helps prevent constipation.
Another health benefit is lowering cholesterol level. Fiber helps eliminate fat-digesting bile acids. It also plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels.
Rich in Polyunsaturated Fat
VeeGee contains the healthy kind of fat. Polyunsaturated fat can be further divided into two types: omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 lowers the risk of heart disease in more ways than one. First, these fatty acids can reduce levels of triglycerides, a kind of fat associated with heart disease. Second, omega-3 prevents the buildup of blood clot and plaque on artery walls, which restricts blood flow to the heart and increase the risk of heart attacks.
Both omega-3 and omega-6 are important in brain function. They are used in the production of signal pathways, cell membranes and other neurological systems essential for brain structures. In addition, they protect the brains from damage brought by age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s.
Carbohydrates to Boost Energy
All carbohydrates aren’t created equal. Candy and sweets, as well as fruits and vegetables, all contain carbs. The healthiest sources of carbs are those that have plenty of other nutrients like protein and antioxidants. The good news is that VeeGee is rich in the healthy kind.
Once carbohydrates are broken down, they turn into smaller sugars like galactose, fructose and glucose, all of which are used as energy. Any unused glucose is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, the source of energy during exercise.
Where to Get VeeGee
In Cagayan de Oro, VeeGee is currently being sold in Ororama, Gaisano and SM. A Php180 box can make several cups.
In a busy, hectic world, it can be easy to forget about eating well. If you’re not getting enough nutritious foods, consider a cup of VeeGee every day.
-Gillian Abonitalla-
