TOWARD A NEW PERSPECTIVE: ‘GIVING BIRTH TO A FAMILY-BASED DAIRY ENTERPRISE’

It was a string of opportunities that knocked on Aquino Perida and his family to venture into dairying as well as milk processing.

First, he was selected to undergo a training for VBAIT by PCC. He also became knowledgeable on pregnancy diagnosis following such training. For several years, he worked as a VBAIT in Sto. Niño, South Cotabato.

Then in 2010, he and his nephew Ricky Perida, Sto Niño’s livestock inspector, was urged by PCC@USM to organize a group of buffalo owners. The initiative was meant to end the slaughter of crossbreds in the said town.

Their efforts gave birth to Sto. Niño Dairy Farmers Association (SANDAFA) in which Aquino joined in and subsequently became its chairman. In time, the PCC@USM loaned out to the association 12 Italian Murrah buffaloes, eight of which became pregnant through fixed-time AI.

At first, the member-beneficiaries could only get one liter of milk, or even less, per animal. But, gradually, to their delight, the milk collection improved to three to four liters per animal.

Soon they were able to achieve a combined total collection of 50 liters of milk from eight crossbreds daily. The LGU-Sto. Nino bought their milk harvest at Php40 per liter and processed it into milk drink such as chocomilk and lactojuice.

Due to the continuous trainings and assistance to the members by the PCC@USM, they became proficient in tending their animals to become better milk yielder. Their production grew to the extent that the milk being bought from them by LGU-Sto Niño can no longer be accommodated in its freezer.

“Instead of the milk going to waste, I bought the excess milk and my family processed it into different products. Apart from milk drink, we produced cakes and pastries flavored with buffalo’s milk,” said Aquino.

Aquino’s family business is managed by his eldest daughter Tessa. She is a former Overseas Filipino Worker in Qatar for six years and had decided to stay in the Philippines with the intention of engaging in some kind of business.

“I worked really hard for this kind of business and found it a good enterprise where the income I get is better than the Php8,000 monthly salary that I received abroad,” Tessa said.

She considered her return to the country in 2011 as “a blessing in disguise” because it was when she saw a window of opportunity to start developing milk-based products.

Tessa utilizes the excess milk bought by SANDAFA and the milk collected from her father’s buffaloes in making her products. Rather than using evaporated milk, she uses buffalo’s milk, which she also converts into condensed milk.

“It was our mother, Evelyn, who first learned about milk processing from a seminar conducted by PCC. She then passed it on to us, her children,“ Tessa said.

Each member of the Perida family plays a role in running their now thriving dairy enterprise. But before they arrived at currently the town’s most popular pastry maker, their beginnings were slowpaced. The buying public was at first reluctant to buy their products. But soon, they built a big group of loyal customers who spread good words about their pastries and cakes. Among their bestselling products are butterscotch, chocomoist, Brazo de Mercedes, brownies, and ice cream.

“We are proud to say that our products are not only good-tasting but are also nutritious because of buffalo’s milk,” Tessa said.

Aquino, who introduced his family to buffalo dairying, beams with pride every end of the day. It’s because they earn a decent income from the said enterprise as a family but more so because they are able to help other people earn a living, too.

To this day, he has employed a number of caretakers to tend his buffaloes.