The primary objective is to provide our customers with more product variety, improve production output as well as upgrade the quality and consistency of our crops.
In a sprawling 33-hectare lot in Indang, Cavite lies a rich vegetable and fruit farm, BA Farms.
In this time of COVID-19, the importance of having a sustainable food source, especially for those quarantined at home, cannot be overemphasized.
Thus, today, BA Farms is serving many households all over Metro Manila and nearby areas, delivering an assorted array of fruits and vegetables to one’s doorstep.
Beginnings
Caesar Wongchuking, the youngest son of the late tobacco tycoon Wong Chu King, initially didn’t imagine the farm would serve a dire need of Filipinos now in the new normal.
When he acquired the land in 1994, he initially just wanted to have a place away from the hustle and bustle of the city, where he can relax and recharge. But as the years went by, he saw the business potential of farming and agriculture and at the same time help the residents of Indang by giving them employment opportunities.
Prospects for the future
Today, the farm is now expanding.
Construction of 15 new greenhouses is underway.
“The primary objective is to provide our customers with more product variety, improve production output as well as upgrade the quality and consistency of our crops. Currently, 95 percent of our customers are end-users or households, but soon our target is to expand to supermarkets so that we’ll be able to reach more consumers,” said Melvin Mendoza, the farm’s sales manager.
Finding its niche
At the start, the company offered a small variety of fruits, vegetables and a few livestock, but now it has found its niche in fruits and veggies.
“And as the months progressed, we have offered 41 different fruits and vegetables. Recently, we have partnered with farms from Visayas and Mindanao to make popular fruits from the south available here in Manila,” said BA Farms GM Geoffrey Gadiana.
Now, the company’s portfolio includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables well-loved by Filipino households — papaya, pineapple, dragon fruit, bananas, mangoes, avocado, green ice lettuce, cassava, white onion, red onion, sliced cucumber and sweet corn.
The main target market is households in the Greater Metro Manila Area, which includes nearby provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan.
“Our customers are mostly females whose ages range from 20 to 75 years old. They love to cook, that’s why it’s a must for them to source fresh, high-quality fruits and vegetables, all the time,” Mendoza said.
Today, BA Farms — BA named after Caesar’s eldest son Angelo or Baby Angelo — is serving an urgent need of customers who choose to stay at home.
“Our customers can place their orders either via the following channels: our customer hotline, Viber, Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. We deliver directly to households. We deliver four times a week, that is, every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday,” said Gadiana.
“Ordering is actually very simple, our customers just have to place their orders a day before the scheduled delivery day, and that’s it. They’ll receive their fresh fruits and vegetables a day after,” Gadiana also said.
