The Southeast Asian Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) published a monograph series to provide information and analyze the profitability and financial viability of selected products and technologies funded and promoted by the Philippine Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR). The monograph as produced under the DA-BAR project "Financial Viability and Profitability Analysis of Agricultural Technologies and Enterprises." The project also aimed to stress the importance of conducting thorough research and analysis to attract potential adopters and investors in developing products and technologies.
One of the products featured in the monograph series is Pinoy GOURmix. This was developed by Ms. Rose Mary G. Aquino and Ms. Vanessa Joy F. Calderon of the DA-Cagayan Valley Research Center (DA-CVRC) in Ilagan City, Isabela.
Pinoy GOURmix is a mixture of cereal-staple crop products composed of milled rice, white corn, and adlay grits; known protein-rich food legumes like ground mungbean; textured vegetable protein out of soybeans; and medicinal vegetables/spices such as malunggay and turmeric. It is cooked in gourmet or lugaw form ready for consumption for breakfast, snack or even in regular meals. Pinoy GOURmix was designed to be a relief food for distribution during calamities. It contains 53.8% carbohydrates, 22.3% crude protein, 5.62% total fat, 10.32% moisture, and 7.96% ash having lower calories of 120. This makes Pinoy GOURmix a complete and smart food because of its high protein and antioxidant content.
The DA-CVRC supports feeding programs of partner agencies and schools through the Pinoy GOURmix feeding programs and product exhibitions as part of its product promotion. They supply Pinoy GOURmix to different private and public institutions that conduct feeding programs and relief operations, such as ABS-CBN Programa Genio Kapamilya Foundation, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and local government units. With these promotional strategies the product generated more attention and sales.
The authors pointed out that the increasing level of demand for the product was clearly exhibited by the increasing number of partners and distributors like supermarkets, cooperatives, and government agencies. The growing opportunity for commercialization has influenced the development of the investment profile of the product. The financial analysis conducted showed that Pinoy GOURmix is a financially viable investment and is thus a product worth investing in.
For a more detailed discussion of the financial analysis and more information on Pinoy GOURmix, the monograph titled "Technology and Investment Profile of Pinoy GOURmix" may now be downloaded for free from the SEARCA website at https://www.searca.org/pubs/monographs?pid=479.