Participated in by mostly the wives and members of the Tugui Grande Fresh Produce Farmers’ Association, Inc., the faculty members of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Department, with their kitchen equipment and utensils brought at the training venue, demonstrated tomato catsup, tomato jam, and tomato gummy making.
The participants learned the proper way of making a pure-tomato catsup with no additives or preservatives from Dr. Jim Aleta and Mr. Mark Anthony Gomez. The mother participants assisted the faculty chefs in peeling the red tomatoes and stirring the mixture, and they excitedly tasted the tomato catsup made. Mr. Benedicto Rabina and Ms. Coleen Escosio performed the quick cooking demo for tomato jam in tandem. “There are only four ingredients for the tomato jam, and these are the tomatoes, sugar, salt, and lots of patience,” Rabina remarked. Because to make a good tomato jam, stirring the mixture should be done continuously while cooking. Making tomato gummies was also taught to the participants, a sweet, healthy treat the parents can prepare for their children who are picky in choosing the food they eat. Dr. Pauleen Mae Camba provided a short lecture, while Mr. Mark Harley Bristol showed how the processes of making gummies are done. The gummy mixture was poured into the molders after mixing all the ingredients and the desired cooking. Camba and Bristol showed the prepared tomato gummies and distributed them to the participants for tasting, which the participants both men and women appreciated.
After the tomato product development training, a seminar on business operation basics was lectured. Mr. Raymond Platon, Jr., a Business Administration Department faculty member, explains the four P’s of businessโproduct, price, place, and promotion. He also explained the considerations of starting a business and the importance of business management in sustaining a productive and profitable enterprise. Meanwhile, Dr. Potenciano D. Conte, Jr., a faculty member of the Business Administration department, explained the functions of packaging. With an emphasis on the role of packaging in bridging production to sales, Dr. Conte said that effective packaging attracts more customers, which enhances sales. Thereafter, the participants actively joined a write-shop on packaging and proudly presented their outputs after the allotted time.
Mr. Elmer O. Cabe, the President of the farmers’ association, expressed his appreciation to the organizers. “We thank you for sharing your knowledge and time for this training with us,” he said. Their group produces high-value crops such as tomatoes and bell peppers. In times of tomato overproduction, their profit tends to become very low. Dr. Jocelyn de Vera, the Campus Extension Coordinator, said that “processing tomatoes in the form of catsup, jam or other products can increase farmers’ income.”
At the end of the training, the participants were asked to evaluate the organized training, to which they responded with ‘very good’ to ‘excellent’ remarks. They also requested another possible tomato product development training for the next extension activity. In her closing remark, Ms. Shyeleen N. Tugas, the Department Chair of the Business Administration Department, conveyed appreciation for the warm welcome given by the community to the extension team. Upon the suggestion of the faculty members, other products that will be taught to the tomato farmers are tomato wine, vinegar, and marinara, which will be shared in the following extension program.
The partners in the conduct of the tomato product development and business operations training were the Philippine Educators’ Association for Community Extension (PEACE), Inc., the Society of Young Business Administrators (SYBA), and the Society of Amateur Hoteliers and Restauranteurs of Alaminos (SAHARA). The Bani Municipal Agriculture Office was also present during the training, as represented by Mr. Ermel Q. Cesar.
Photos | Dr. Potenciano Conte
