Gourmet Farms celebrates 25th Anniversary in high style

Gourmet Farms, the country’s undisputed pioneer in healthy lifestyle and eating habits, celebrates its first quarter of a century of growth and expansion this month.  From its unremarkable beginnings as a hobby grower of coffees, lettuces and herbs, Gourmet Farms is today a sprawling diversity of inter-related businesses that includes vegetables, cut-flowers, signature bottled, boxed and baked products, a country store of gifts and gadgets, a restaurant, a park, and an enclave for private retreats. A Big Celebration A 25th Anniversary celebration featuring a musical show will take place at the Farms’ Al Fresco Gardens in Silang, Cavite, on Saturday, April 28.  Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit Fr. Luis Candelaria’s St. Aloysius Gonzaga Foundation, which is funding a professorial chair at the Loyola House of Studies.   Friend and Singer/songwriter Joe Mari Chan will host an intimate and cozy evening of mellow music called “In My Living Room.” His program includes old favorites and new standards, duets with special guest stars, Janet Basco and Sheila Valderrama, and a surprise guests who will join him on a stage that is set up to look like a comfortable living room.   The festivities will kick off with a festive buffet of favorite Filipino and Mediterranean dishes as well as Gourmet Farms’ popular herbal coolers and abundant farm fresh salad bar.  The buffet will start at 6 pm in The Dining Room.   At 8pm, guests will be ushered to their seats in the Al Fresco Gardens for the two hour show.   When guests leave, each will receive a Special 25th Anniversary Edition gift of premium Gourmet Coffee, and a potted Basil plant – the two graphic icons depicted in Gourmet Farms’ logo.   For details on tickets to the show, visit the Gourmet Farms website.   Low-Tech Wonders   For a leisurely celebration of Gourmet Farms, a visit to the newly refurbished Country Store is suggested, or a Farm Tour for a hands-on, information-filled observation of the lush growing fields of the eleven hectare property. In addition to learning about planting and harvesting, valuable information about waste management and sustainable farming will be gleaned.   Gourmet Farms prides itself on being pesticide-free, water-conservative and employing low-tech farming practices whenever possible, like using carabaos for plowing or composting for soil enrichment. A windmill was recently installed to carry recyclable waters to irrigate the vegetable plots. And they even make use of discarded paper coffee cups to incubate sprouts and seedlings.   Prestigious Certification Gourmet Farms Inc. has just won the prestigious FSSC accreditation – the country’s highest award for food quality and safety possible. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Escaler & Company, Inc., a Manila-based corporation that provides management consultancy to its own companies and its clients.  Headed by a visionary entrepreneur, Mr. Ernest de Leon Escaler, GFI has contributed largely to the responsible and healthy growth of coffee, herbal tea, and organic produce in the country today.   - press release from Gourmet Farms