Taking Janolino's marketing background and Anthony’s expertise in being a solutions provider, the two decided to focus on a basic need - food.
“Farming interests us because it is one sector which is underdeveloped and which we believe we can add value to. We were inspired during a visit in Bali where we discovered a literal farm-to-table native hut serving the produce within its vicinity,” Janolino shares.
Beginning the journey
To get started, Janolino and San Pedro reached out to a friend who was already in the industry for assistance in developing their farm in San Miguel, Batangas.
“A friend owns an organic farm development company which we contracted to get us started. They also bought our produce from 2018-2019," he says.
"Later on, we rapidly grew in know-how and skills in this area and absorbed a lot of important knowledge from YouTube videos of successful organic, as well as, hydroponic farmers.”
Overcoming challenges, thriving in adversity
The pair started small, at first supplying a supermarket wholesaler. The business grew, even as Janolino returned to work, and slowly but surely developed, and then the pandemic hit. Being a master marketer, Janolino pivoted quickly.
“With no wholesaler-buyer to absorb our production - and in fact we had to throw away 500 kilos of maturing produce - we turned to direct-to-home deliveries,” he says.
Consistent, reliable, and widely praised by customers for their high quality—these attributes have made "The Little Farm" ( La Petite Ferme) the preferred supplier not only of individual customers but also of some of the top chefs and restaurants in town.
With normalcy restored, Janolino pivoted once more, this time focusing only on unique, high-value produce on a much smaller scale.
Today, San Pedro who handles farm operations, describes LPF as a “naturally-grown produce purveyor."
"We are also multi-system. We can do 100 percent natural, and also do hydroponics in our greenhouses. We can separate the two systems so much so that if an organic retailer wants us to supply them with greens, while a hydroponics wholesaler wants us to supply them with jalapeños, French tomatoes and Japanese cucumbers, we can do so at the same time. We also grow hard-to-grow flowers (like European figs) and fruits,” San Pedro adds.
Growing success with the community
Valuing community deeply, Janolino and San Pedro have made it a key part of LPF’s business to give back by sharing the fruits of their labor, their network and partners with fellow farmers and suppliers, helping them thrive alongside their own success.
“We know we cannot grow all the produce required by restaurants, so we work with other farmers, including beekeepers, to supply our customers.”
Being professionals, both attribute their passion project’s success to exactly what the term says - passion.
Passion and agility to adapt
Passion drives the progress of any enterprise, while adaption to a changing environment contributes to its success.
"Our several pivots from selling to a wholesaler to selling direct to homes in gated communities during the three-year lockdown to selling to top chefs and high-end restaurants demonstrate both passion and agility to adapt,” they say.
The partners’ dream for LPF extends beyond the confines of the land they now occupy.
On to the next phase
“We want to develop a small demo cafe in the middle of our current farm, drawing from our own produce and those from the farms in our immediate vicinity. In Lipa, we have beekeepers, artisanal milk and cheese makers, coffee growers, backyard poultries who we can support with this endeavor.
We want to branch out outside mainland Luzon into high-growth areas where we can bring our style of natural, high-value farming. But to do so, we need to partner with like-minded landowners who care about the intrinsic non-monetary value of their land in terms of its sustainability and positive societal contribution.”
Margarita is a multi-faceted writer having published articles across newspaper sections and different print publications, from food to socials, to parenting, lifestyle, travel, and socio-economic issues.
