Cebuano traders push native ingredients

It was after a Mother’s Day dinner that a young Cebuano entrepreneur decided to make a product that would reflect the sophisticated side of the Cebuano culture.

“You cannot always represent a culture in hardships. How can we globally compete if other countries always look at us backwards?” said Conrado Montilla, creator of Conrad’s Mango Wine.

Montilla recounted to Cebu Daily News how he came up with the idea of mango wine after a dinner date with his mother after his service in the U.S. military.

He ordered a local house wine, but to his dismay, the waiter told him that they don’t have quality native wines.

“I felt I was really missing out on a local experience where people showed city pride by their food and wine,” he said.

For two years he pondered how to make local wines and came out with his own Conrad’s Mango Wine.

He said Cebu’s mangoes are among the finest in the world and he believes that the fruit should be represented as a quality source of wine.

By selling mango wine, Montilla said he hopes to bring Cebu’s mango industry to the global market.

He said the country should stop relying on imports and start creating products of superior quality to the local market.

For her part, breadmaker Grace Gallarde of Absolutely Homemade said she believes that Cebu must start creating more distinct taste identities that other cultures can recognize and engage with.

Gallarde, who’s also advocating the use of local ingredients in food businesses, said her love of baking and passion for health and wellness are reflected in her use of vegetables like squash, ampalaya (bitter melon), root crops and malunggay.

“I am not a nutritionist but I am a nutritionist by heart,” Gallarde said as she presented her line of “Oh! My Pan Gulay!” products that included loaves made out of malunggay, camote, squash, and ampalaya.

Montilla and Absolutely Homemade breadmaker Grace Gallarde were two of several Cebuano entrepreneurs who were featured in the opening of the Cebu Business Month’s Entropinoy Expo at the SM City Trade Hall yesterday.

The exhibition, which runs until June 26, serves as a venue for interaction between experts from various industries who will share their insights and experiences on the success of their businesses.