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PROMOTING INCLUSIVE BUSINESS, BUILDING COMMUNITIES

Batangas coffee traders/farmers turned entrepreneurs (3rd,4th,5th from L) gladly accounted their thousands-worth of earnings from their farming businesses to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez (4th from R) and officials, during a recent (3 February) site visit at Nestle PH in Lipa. They benefited from Nestle PH’s sustainable and inclusive business program that aims to push for the industry’s growth and make coffee a more profitable livelihood by helping farmers improve their income through increased yield and improved quality, as well as by sharing best farming practices and sustainability standards. Nestle PH Chairman and CEO Jacques Reber (2nd from L) and CFO Mandeep Chhatwal (leftmost) said that the company provides plantlets to government-identified farmer recipients at cost. Nestle PH also extends technical assistance and training and serves as ready market through strategically-located satellite coffee buying stations across the PH. It also confirmed establishment of a Milo Malt Plant in Lipa to be in operation by September 2017. Sec. Lopez called on Nestle PH to find ways on how to include local workforce and producers in the malt production chain to replicate the success of these coffee farmers to other micro-entrepreneurs. He also called on Nestle PH, working with more than 4,000 MSME vendors, to partner with DTI’s Negosyo Centers to further its entrepreneurial project business on wheels that enables marginalized Filipinos to become entrepreneurs by providing them free business training. The company vowed to further strengthen its Creating Shared Value program with the communities by promoting rural development, advocating nutrition and safeguarding water and environment. (END)

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