Coming back home CPA leaves corporate job to run family farm

By Patricia Taculao

ASIDE from the pristine, secluded beaches ideal for surfing, La Union offers another unique experience that allows visitors to get closer to nature and reap its bounty, specifically grape picking

In Barangay Urayong, Bauang, La Union, a family farm holds the distinction of being a pioneer in viticulture, the science behind the cultivation, protection, and harvest of grapes where the operations are outdoors.

Lomboy Farms began in 1972 through the efforts of the late Avelino Lomboy. Although employed in a rural bank, the family patriarch wanted to grow high-value crops as a challenge and augment their family income.

He eventually discovered the market potential of growing grapes. He began with ten cuttings from Cebu, taking him two years to research and develop the proper technique. Two years later, Lomboy’s efforts paid off when grapes began to grow on the farm. He sold the first bunches at only P25 per kilo.

Nowadays, the responsibility of running the farm has gone to his daughter, Gracia C. Lomboy, as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) registered the business in her name in 2007. She calls the instance destiny because of how timely things developed throughout her life, allowing her to follow in her father’s footsteps and uphold his legacy despite a niche industry.

Having graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman with a degree in business administration and accountancy in 2001, Lomboy is a certified public accountant (CPA) by profession. But at a young age, her father exposed her to the wonders of farming.