Chemfree Foods hails as Best SETUP Adoptor in Region 1

 Engr. Ernesto M. De Padua, owner/manager of Chemfree Foods, receives his awards from DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo (2^nd from left) and DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Dr. Carol M.Yorobe (far right) with them is DOST-1’s OIC Regional Director Armando Q. Ganal (far left) - Photo courtesy of DOST Calabarzon

(Right  photo) The De Padua Family with DOST-1’s OIC Regional Director Armando Q. Ganal during the recognition program for SME innovators.

By Racquel P. Espiritu

SRS II, DOST 1

Chemfree Foods, producer of chemical-free ube powder, was hailed as Best SETUP Adoptor by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Region 1 for the year 2014.

Engr. Ernesto M. De Padua, the owner and manager of the firm, personally accepted the Plaque of Recognition and a cash prize of P 10,000.00 from DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo and Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Dr. Carol M. Yorobe during the program on Smart Innovations for SMEs at the National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) celebration held last July 25, 2014 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay City. The Search recognizes the firm’s exemplary and commendable performance in terms of technology innovation, product quality, marketing and financial outcomes, and management leadership.

Chemfree Foods started its operation in 2001 where production of ube powder was done at a rented house in Casiaman, Bacnotan, La Union. Engr. De Padua, an agricultural engineer and former professor in Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), together with his wife and children, do all the works of the enterprise – from production to marketing of finished products. 

The firm’s advocacy against use of chemicals in foods led Engr. De Padua from discovering the color retention technology for ube powder. It is noted that most powdered products which have been subjected to high temperature in the process of drying and pulverization lose their natural color, requiring producers to resort to food coloring for added market value. With the technology, ube’s color after processing was retained, enhanced, and stabilized. Moreover, the finished products can be stored and preserved up to two years without any discoloration.

In 2004, the firm was registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as a single proprietorship business which eventually became a Barangay Micro-Business Enterprise (BMBE) in 2009. As a business-research oriented entity, it is an active private partner-cooperator in technology verification research development program on food processing of DMMMSU.

In 2005, the firm has received financial assistance worth P116,000.00 from the Ilocos Consortium for Industry and Energy Research and Development (ICIERD), an inter-agency support group led by DOST for research and development activities for local industries.  The assistance was a R&D fund intended for the construction of the multi-purpose dryer and commercialization of food processing technology of ube. 

The expanding market and increasing number of clients led the firm to upgrade and improve its production process and equipment to meet the growing demand for the product.  In 2010, the firm became a SETUP beneficiary where it acquired a bigger capacity and more efficient multi-purpose dryer, electronic platform, band sealing machine and a platform balance with total worth of P397,200.00.  The firm was also a recipient of various trainings and consultancy services such as Productivity and Quality Seminar, Current Good Manufacturing Practices Seminar, Energy Audit, and Food Safety Assessment.

More than the personal gains that the firm has achieved through innovation, science and technology, Chemfree Foods has made its impact to the community through the provision of jobs to unemployed housewives and out-of-school-youths.  It has also promoted agricultural processing technologies and post-harvest practices to farmers in Northern Luzon.  More importantly, its has given stable income to farmers of ube in the locality and nearby provinces.

The Search for Best SETUP Adoptor, launched in 2012, is awarded annually by DOST to recognize the efforts of outstanding entrepreneurs who are beneficiaries of SETUP—“Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program”.  SETUP is a nationwide strategy of DOST to encourage and assist SMEs to adopt technological innovations to improve their operations and thus boost their productivity and competitiveness. The program enables firms to address their technical problems through technology transfer and technological interventions to improve productivity through better product quality, human resources development, cost minimization and waste management, and other operation related activities.  For details on implemented SETUP projects in the country, visit http://webgis.dost.gov.ph/.