Rising from the ashes

For my last post about the Ateneo School of Management Business Accelerator (SOMBA) Program, I am featuring a product that is very different from everything else that I've posted this past week. Envirobloxx are concrete masonry units (better known as cinder blocks in the U.S. and hollow blocks here in the Philippines) made of cement, lahar (volcanic ash flow—we still have lots from the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption) and rice hull ash. The result is a cheaper, lighter block that does not compromise on strength. I also like Envirobloxx's interlocking design, which should make wall construction easier. This is a product which I hope construction companies, architects, civil engineers and hardware stores will pick up fast. My husband and I have no need for hollow blocks right now, but you can be sure that I'm keeping their brochure and business card for the day when we do need them.



Envirobuilders Construction Supplies Inc. developed and markets Envirobloxx. They can be emailed at envirobuildersinc@gmail.com.

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The AY 2010–2011 SOMBA Program has more groups than the seven that I was able to feature. The complete list of companies established this academic year can be found at jgsomba.tk. And to all the students in the program: you have such fantastic ideas and products, and I love that you all care about the environment and the less privileged of our countrymen so much. I wish your companies much success and I hope that all your products fly off the shelves!

Starchy food

Before I continue with my series on the Ateneo School of Management Business Accelerator (SOMBA) Program fair, I think I need to clarify one point. These students are Management majors; they are not food technologists or materials scientists. Therefore, the products that they develop are not necessarily new; in fact, they have to use existing technologies if they wish to finish their project within the stipulated year. Their mandate is to develop commercially-viable products for a specified target market. The environmental and social enterprise focus are additional, in the hope that these young men and women will mature into socially-responsible adults and entrepreneurs. That said, let's go on to the next company (just two more since I wasn't able to take photos of all the products at the fair). We all know how disposable, plastic tableware is bad for the environment; but no one can deny that they are very convenient—for parties, take-out (take-away, to-go or however you call it in your country) food, picnics, and such. A solution: disposable, starch-based eating utensils. They're not just biodegradable; they can actually be added to compost heaps. The stuff in the bowl are the starch pellets which the spoons and forks are made of. This particular product is made by a Gawad Kalinga community; this and its environmental focus defines Bioware as a social enterprise. I forgot to ask the kids though: won't the spoon melt if it's used for stirring hot drinks or eating hot soup?



Me bad. I wasn't able to get their business card so I don't have Bioware's contact information, but the SOMBA Program office should have it. Their number is (63-2) 426-6001 extension 5532.

3:20PM UPDATE: Thanks to Joey Oliver, I can now direct you to Bioware's Facebook page. Bioware is the brand and the company is called Greenature Cycle Incorporated.

Urban ethnicity

Of all the projects at the Ateneo School of Management Business Accelerator (SOMBA) Program fair last week, Ethnu was the one that made me weak in the knees, with their neo-ethnic jewelry. The materials—stone and shell beads, brass bells—are sourced from the tribes that inspired the jewelry, but the designs, created by fashion designer Louis Claparols, are very modern. They currently have three beautifully-named collections which showcase the intricate work of three Philippine ethnic tribes. On the left is Brass Dreamweavers, from the T'boli of Southern Mindanao. On the higher table at the right is People of the Earth, from the Ifugao. On the lower table is Peacock Warriors, from the Kalinga. The Ifugao and the Kalinga are two of several ethnic groups in the mountainous Cordillera region of Luzon which are known collectively as Igorot. If only for purely selfish reasons (I want those necklaces!), I want this company to succeed, but of course, it's much more than that. Any company that can bring Philippine ethnic accessories and fabrics to the world stage has my support, especially if that company applies fair trade principles in their dealings with these usually marginalized and exploited ethnic groups.



Ethnu is the brand of Ethnocentricity Incorporated. They are on Facebook and can also be emailed at ethnuaccessories@gmail.com.

High fashion

Most Manileños know pandan only as a food flavoring and these young students of the Ateneo School of Management Business Accelerator (SOMBA) Program are on a mission to re-educate us. P. Nouvelle, with the help of Filipino fashion designer Arnold Galang and two partners from the Department of Trade and Industry, produces gorgeous bags made out of pandan leaves. Sustainable, ethical, green fashion—any takers, ladies?



P. Nouvelle Developers Inc. can be found in Facebook and their email address is pnouvellebags@gmail.com.

Paper bags

Many of the student groups in the Ateneo School of Management Business Accelerator (SOMBA) Program are concerned with the environment, sustainability and social enterprise. Like yesterday's shoes, the bags of Papelle use recycled materials. In this case, what looks like traditional basketry is actually made of handwoven paper from old newspapers and telephone directories. Don't they look fantastic? The paper bags are laminated so they're water resistant. The design on the left, which is reinforced around the body, is strong enough to carry five kilos of weight. What's more, Papelle (a French-ified play on the Tagalog word "papel" which means paper) bags now provide a livelihood to previously jobless residents of the barangay of Natipuan in Nasugbu, Batangas.



Papelle is manufactured by The Twillery, Inc. They have a website and can be emailed at papellebags@gmail.com or TheTwillery@gmail.com.

If they can stop a plane…

Continuing with the entrepreneurial fair of the Ateneo John Gokongwei School of Management: This product was a big hit among the students: casual shoes made of recycled materials. Named "Soule," the uppers are chosen from used clothing or excess fabrics, and the soles are made out of used airplane tires. It would have been interesting to find out where the kids got the tires, but they were busy with their stock when I passed their stall. According to their brochure, the soles are lightweight and durable, and I was thinking: the tires may be worn out, but only for the standard of airplanes. For people, the traction must still be quite awesome.



Soule is made by Cultura Verde Footwear, Inc. They have a website and their email address is culturaverdefootwear@gmail.com.

Moo!

The Ateneo John Gokongwei School of Management has a one-year program specifically focused on students with a strong entrepreneurial spirit. It is called the School of Management Business Accelerator Program, or SOMBA for short. At the end of the program, students must have developed a product, created a business plan which has been approved by a panel made up of recognized Filipino businessmen, established their company legally, and generated their projected revenue within a specified selling period. The SOMBA students held a two-day fair in the campus last week and I have to say that I was truly impressed with some of them. I'll be featuring some of their companies and products this week, beginning with one food product which I thought makes best use of a Filipino produce. Tropical Cow Mix & Dip tastes exactly like sweetened condensed milk but is made not of dairy milk but of coconut milk. Called gata in Tagalog, coconut milk comes from the meat of mature coconuts which is grated and squeezed through cheesecloth, and is a common cooking ingredient in the Philippines and in other Southeast Asian countries. For lactose-intolerant people like me, Tropical Cow's Mix & Dip is the perfect condensed milk substitute, and I hope that they can develop other milk substitute products out of coconut milk. I think Tropical Cow's logo (on the screen and on top of the refrigerator)—a typical image of a tropical drink served in a half coconut shell but with an udder—is hilarious, and isn't their mascot (on their t-shirts) just so cute?



Tropical Cow Manufacturing, Inc. can be reached by emailing tropicalcow@gmail.com. The Vice President for Operations is Joey Nocom and his email address is joeynocom@gmail.com. They have a website and can also be found in Facebook.