Guimaras’ Springbloom Agri Farm nurtures local culinary heritage and sustainable agriculture

Spring Bloom Agrifarm, a high value commercial crop farm located in Concordia, Sibunag, Guimaras, has recently been making waves in the culinary world. This innovative farm excels in agricultural production and shines in culinary competitions and prestigious events, showcasing its commitment to sustainable agriculture and the farm-to-table movement and lately the sustainable gastronomy tourism and honoring culinary traditions that define the Region. Spring Bloom Agrifarm is an accredited learning site of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and DA Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) accredited coconut seed farm and nursery.

In April 2023 Filipino Food Month of the DA Western Visayas Cooking Olympics (Regional Cooking Competition) and HVCDP Week , Spring Bloom Agrifarm bested the six provinces and was declared champion. Showcasing local ingredients like the famous mangoes, batwan and TUL-TUL asin. The judges described the exquisite winning entries, Guimaras Mangga Pasta and Ibos sa Isla, as “to-die-for.”

At the recently concluded May 2024 Manggahan Festival, the Manggahan Culinaria Cooking Competition featured a feast of flavors as cooks from various restaurants and resorts across Guimaras gathered for the ultimate culinary showdown. Spring Bloom Agrifarm emerged as a standout participant, demonstrating exceptional culinary prowess and creativity. In the Appetizer Category, the Lipong nga Luyong-luyong and Kinilaw Saw Saw sa Langgaw using the unique evergreen luyong luyong from the farm and langgaw sa tuba secured second place. Their true triumph, however, came in the Main Course Category, where the Manok Maanyag Sang Sibunag or Chicken binacol using free range chicken, labog and young coconuts from the farm clinched first place with a dish that beautifully encapsulated the essence of Guimaras.

The farm’s winning streak continued in the Dessert Category, where their delectable creation guimaras puto maya paired with guimaras mango and chocolate baterol earned another first-place victory. Pinarak or Palm Sugar of Nueva Valencia and Pulot Gata were the main ingredients for this win. These remarkable performances of Spring bloom Agrifarm is with its three member team namely Maria Daisy Nable, Maria Digna L. Banabatac and Joe Glenn M. Lucio being crowned the overall competition winner the Champion.

The victory of Spring Bloom Agrifarm brought them to the 126th Philippine Independence Day “A Cook’s Journal” event of the Cebu-based Tambuli Seaside Resort and Spa in Mactan a luxurious 4-star hotel. The Spring Bloom Agrifarm team composed of Maria Luisa Minviluz S, Camiña, Maria Digna Banabatac, Maria Daisy Nable, and Hector Ganila, presented a curated selection of traditional Filipino dishes. Their offerings included the exquisite Guimaras Mangga Pasta and the delectable Manok Maanyag Sang Sibunag, Cacao Chocolate Espeso Batirol Batidor among others. These dishes highlighted the farm’s commitment to celebrating and preserving Filipino culinary heritage. The stunning beachfront location, impeccable service, and world-class amenities of Tambuli Seaside Resort and Spa provided an exquisite backdrop for this culinary celebration. The event highlighted the rich culinary heritage of the Philippines and showcased the exceptional talent and creativity of Spring Bloom Agri farm, making the 126th Philippine Independence Day celebration truly memorable. Spring Bloom Agrifarm offers a journey of food from its production stages—harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, and sales—to its consumption. It commercially produces a variety of crops, including red lady papaya, bananas, and coconut. Additionally, they cultivate sweet corn, black pepper, cashew, calamansi, lime, pomelo root crops, local fruits, and assorted vegetables on a smaller scale.

Notably, they have a vast plantation of cacao, producing tons of it and processing it into a distinctive cacao tablea with the brand CONCORDIA TABLEA and serving a signature chocolate espeso drink that has become popular among locals and visitors. In September 2021 the Department of Trade and Industry Regional 6 recognized Spring Bloom Cacao beans for being one of the Top 3 in Best Cacao Beans in the whole region. Slow Food Community in Turin, Italy led by Focal Person Elena Aniere accredited the farm as a member of the Slow Food Community in Guimaras as the farm produces Ark of Taste ingredients. On June 25-28, 2024 they were sent to represent Iloilo and Guimaras to the First United Nations Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific. The current buzzword is sustainable gastronomy tourism, which will attract many tourists to our country.###(MCMBuala/DA-RAFIS 6)