Young entrepreneur dabbles into banana processing

Sustainability

Tan said discarding the banana core is such a waste of good food considering it is also edible. Instead of throwing away the part with seeds, she instead, tried her hand at innovating by drying the “waste part” to create what she calls “green banana flour”.

“As our business matures, we have also bookmarked several observations from our decade long of producing this product. This is why we have a new mantra on zero waste production. We want to be a sustainable and responsible manufacturer of quality, yet healthy products,” she said.

Next to almond flour, banana is another healthy alternative to regular flour. While a kilogram of banana flour may cost about P400, it is way more affordable than almond flour which retails at P1,000/kg. However, compared to regular or wheat flour, banana flour is a bit pricey.

During the 2023 International Food Exhibition Philippines on May 26 to 28, Tan said several manufacturers expressed interest to try using banana flour. There were even proposals for some bakers to try using banana flour as supplement to regular flour.

The IFEX stint informally connected Trexie’s with a major polvoron manufacturer. There is also a proposal from the government to engage Trexie’s in a product development to use banana flour for a trial production of nutribun—a proposed feeding program for grade-school children in public schools.

Trexie’s packaging has evolved with time. From the traditional clear plastic pouch packaging, it is now using standup resealable pouches which are more sustainable as it also extends the shelf life of the product up to 18 months.

Accolades

Starting her banana chips business when she was about 16 years old, Tan was chosen as one of the recipients of the Most Promising Young Entrepreneur award in Region 12. This boosted her confidence to continue her business despite the challenges.

Her green banana flour experiment added another notable citation as she won the Young Farmers Challenge in 2022—a program of the Department of

Agriculture that seeks to engage young people to invest time and talent into agri-related pursuits. She said the awards she received opened another window for her as an inspirational speaker.

“I never imagined myself as a resource speaker. However, I get invited to events where I am encouraged to tell my story, hoping that more young people will be enlightened to also try entrepreneurship,” she said.

Toll operations

In 2020, a start-up manufacturing company approached Tan to offer toll packing opportunities. The contract calls for Trexie’s to manufacture banana chips for the company under a different brand name. The product is mostly for export to the US and Australia.

“Our partner has a lot of things they want us to engage in. There are products in the pipeline we are still sorting out with them on top of being their source of banana chips,” Tan said.

Trexie’s was able to fulfill its first container van of toll-packed banana chips with the help of seven full-time workers. On days when demand is dull, or when production is to satisfy local demand, Tan said they can only hire four workers.

“I thought that after that first container van, we will be in a better position, financially. It was then that I realized it takes more than just a container van of banana chips to realize our dream to be a major supplier and producer of banana chips. We still need to trek that long road to get to where we want us to be,” Tan said.

Trexie’s produces about 40,000 packs of banana chips a month, which is just about the capacity of a nano enterprise. The product is marketed in a 60-gram ziplock stand-up pouch, smaller in terms of volume compared to the toll-packed units which is 100 grams per pack.

She said production constraints limited its distribution channels within the boundaries of General Santos City. Although there is a separate facility for production, packaging and storage, lack of financial resources kept operations at the minimum. Othel V. Campos

Tower builder and telecom firm connect for greater digital connectivity aggravate climate change. manpower, expertise, equipment, and supplies - excluding seedlings and fertilizers - for replanting and for taking care of the seedlings. Straddling portions of Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Aurora provinces, the PCWFR serves as sanctuary for various plant and animal life in Central Luzon. Aside from rivers and forests, the 84,000-hectare watershed area also hosts the Pantabangan Dam, considered one of Southeast Asia’s biggest dams and the source of crucial irrigation water for thousands of hectares of farms in Central Luzon. OTHEL V. CAMPOS, Issue Editor email: extrastory2000@gmail.com A4 JUNE 4, 2023

EDOTCO Philippines and Globe Telecom’s partnership has helped boost reliable and affordable 4G and 5G connectivity in communities, businesses and government agencies, particularly in Cebu.

CLEAN energy provider First Gen Corporation and 4 farmers’ organizations in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, embarked on a reforestation project involving a 1,209-hectare portion of the Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve (PCWFR) as part of a program to protect and enhance the vital watershed area and provide income for the farmers. Under the agreement, FG Hydro will provide the program design, as well as technical supervision in implementing the reforestation activities.

“As a source of irrigation water for thou- sands of hectares of farmlands in Central Luzon, PCWFR helps assure the country’s food security; and as source of water for power generation, it supports likewise our government’s drive not only for energy security but for more clean and renewable energy,” said First Gen senior vice president Dennis P. Gonzales. The reforestation agreement, finalized recently by the parties, supports government efforts to fight climate change by creating a forest capable of absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide, one of the heat-trapping greenhouse gases that