MANG ITLOG by GK Butuan Enchanted Farm (Team 104)

Mang Itlog sells fresh duck eggs and salted eggs. It is one of the enterprises incubated at GK Butuan Enchanted Farm managed by Caraga Social Entrepreneurs Cooperative (CARSEACO).

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Problem Statement

To make Mang Itlog as one of the enterprises to represent the social entrepreneurship movement and to implement and sustain community-based tourism approach of GK Butuan Enchanted farm during this time of pandemic where it will allow us to reach out and continue caring for our community members with the kind-hearted support from our partners and volunteers.

Challenge areas

Community-based tourism, Supply chain

Inspiration

Mang Itlog is one of the social enterprises incubated in GK EFarm. This enterprise is an avenue for us to grow and add income to our cooperative - CARAGA Social Entrepreneurs Agriculture Cooperative (CARSEACO) thereby benefiting the community members who are likewise members of the coop. The members are from GK communities, volunteers, and GK workers from Butuan City.

Among the many worthwhile reasons why we pursue this enterprise are the following:

  1. Based on market research, there are only few entrepreneurs in Butuan City who are venturing into Duck raising and processing it into salted eggs.
  2. Increasing demand for fresh duck eggs and salted eggs in Butuan City
  3. Knowledge and skills on the duck farming technology is immanent among coop members.
  4. Duck raising, producing and harvesting eggs are easy tasks workable to community members.
  5. Some resources for duck raising are available in the farm.
  6. Opportunity to impart the value of sharing and caring to community members, volunteers, partners, and customers.

The initiative falls under the 2nd phase of GK’s roadmap which is social artistry.

Social artistry of Gawad Kalinga aims to empower the powerless for self-governance, self-reliance, and especially self-sufficiency. Hence, the birth of the GK Enchanted Farm at Brgy. Engkanto, Angat, Bulacan. It is a community meant to encourage the growth of social entrepreneurship.

The gains of GK Enchanted Farm in Bulacan inspired GK Butuan to replicate the development concept in Butuan City.

On February 25, 2012, the Butuan City GK Enchanted Farm in Balangayan Butuan, Brgy. Pagatpatan was officially launched. It aims to become a village university of social enterprises that are agriculture and aqua-based products. Further, it desires to inculcate in the minds of the youth not only from GK communities but also from the whole Caraga region to appreciate and venture into Agriculture.

There were projects implemented before by our partner agencies but were not sustained because of some reasonable circumstances. In spite of that, Gawad Kalinga maintains its presence and efforts in community development and nation building.

The GK Butuan Enchanted Farm was relaunched on December 15, 2018. It focuses on incubation of social enterprises led by the GK provincial management team, CARSEACO, and students and faculty members from FSUU.

Currently, there are few operational start-up social enterprises, namely: Duck Raising, planting and cultivating herbs and vegetables; mushroom growing, and cooking delicious and nutritious meals- MEAL AMIGO.

Target Users/Audience

GK community, volunteers, partners and GK workers. Wholesalers and consumers.

Proposed solution

We must be able to provide a sustainable supply of feeds for egg laying ducks.

We need to increase the number of members to aid us in operating the enterprise - Coop Membership Goal.

We need an incubator for us to have our own ready-to-lay ducks.

Safety protocols during production and delivery.

Intensify values strengthening and technical sessions through online communication.

Bayanihan brought possible through maximizing the use of social media and online platforms.

What it does

It is a social enterprise that delivers fresh duck eggs and salted eggs. It also provides livelihood to the families from Brgy. Pagatpatan community by selling fresh duck eggs and by processing (value-adding) it to salted eggs. And it is a social enterprise that focuses not only about producing and selling Agri-products but also focuses on the values of “Bayanihan” among coop and community members.

How we built it

We anchored its business model from the farm's "Development Framework" and finished the business plan during the early months of 2019 with the help of the volunteers and workers who are also into duck farming. We also attended a seminar on duck raising sponsored by one of the leading feeds supplier in the Philippines.

In September 2019, we acquired 300 ducklings utilizing the investment from CARSEACO.

In April 2020, we started selling fresh eggs and closed a deal from a fresh duck egg wholesaler and just recently, we implement value-adding through offering salted duck eggs.

We also acquired assistance from Department of Agriculture (DA) and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).

Challenges we encountered

  1. Difficulty in increasing the numbers of coop members due to covid protocols.
  2. Apprehensions in the delivery of produce due to increasing number of covid cases in Butuan.
  3. Lack of manpower due to difficulty of some coop members to cross the boarders
  4. To sustain the "Bayanihan" value of GK amidst pandemic.

Accomplishments that we are proud of

Provide livelihood to GK-Pagatpatan community

The product has no artificial coloring and has less sodium which the customer love.

Contract buyer for fresh duck eggs.

There are wholesalers for salted eggs.

We are able to market the products and close deals using our fb page and linkages.

Volunteers are working hard to sell and promote the products in spite of their full-time job in both public and private sectors.

What did we learn

  1. Maximize the linkages and availability of different online platforms like facebook, instagram, emails, zoom, etc. massively introduce the coop as well as the enterprise in social media.
  2. Strictly following the covid protocols like physical distancing and wearing of facials masks and requesting the customers to pay for the exact amount during the delivery of produce.
  3. Multitasking and close coordination between key person involve from production, marketing and selling of produce
  4. Constant communication (Kumustahan) - giving care - with the GK workers, volunteers, coop members and community members or Kapitbahayan.

What's next for MANG ITLOG

We will replicate this enteprise to all GK communities in the Region and pass forward the knowledge, skills, and more importantly the values gained while venturing into this social enterprise.

Built With

  • businessmodel
  • communitybasedtourism
  • socialenterprises
  • supplychain
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