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When I arrived at the Enchanted Farm, I met Tita Jenny who lives in the community within the Farm.
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Tita Jenny is married to Tito June. I had met him at the Grassroots Kitchen – which is the restaurant/coworking space/café/hub of the farm – where he joked with me.
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« Tita » and « Tito » are affectionate ways to call people within a community. It means « uncle / aunt ».
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And by the way, « Até » means « older sister » – so, here, I am « Até Julia » ! 😉
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So. Tita Jenny invited me to have dinner at her place a few days later.
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We agreed on what I would bring – tofu, onion and garlic and fresh coconut milk – vegetarian dinner, YAY !
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I asked Tita Jenny if I could come with Stephanie for the dinner – Stephanie was a « Camper » at the Enchanted Farm – she participated to the Startup Business Camp organized by the Social Business Incubator. And she was staying for a week at the Farm.
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Tita Jenny and Tito June love welcoming volunteers and interns – so of course, Stephanie could join.
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That Tuesday before sunset, we went to Angat with Stephanie – Angat is the closest small town.
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We discovered the very lively market. Colors, smells (really terrible in the meat and dry fish area !), many vegetables and fruits that were new to us, joyful young ladies telling us they want our nose (?! haha), lovely and helpful people.
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We were expected at Tita Jenny’s around 8pm.
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That night, Tita Jenny had cooked young papaya in coconut milk and fried tofu. Delicious !
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I talked a lot with Tito June.
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Tito June loves speaking about his vermicomposting activity.
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He also loves showing the pictures of all the volunteers and interns they have got to know since they are at the Enchanted Farm.
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He loves making jokes, and playing the guitar.
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Tito June insisted that I come to discover his vermicompost small business… Well, at first, this did not sound as the most exciting thing to do here !
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Later that week, during the second week-end of the Startup Business Camp, I could participate to a visit by Tito June.
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And I thought that his story and what he had built here was very interesting !
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In my perspective, it was a story of entrepreneurship in a very different context.
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A few days later, as I dropped by his place to say hello, I shared with him about the idea to interview him and write his story on my blog. He agreed.
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So this afternoon at 3, I went to Tito June vermicompost workshop.
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And here is what he told me…
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Tito June is from the town of Dona Remedies Trinidad in Bulacan province – 15 km away from the Enchanted Farm.
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He and Tita Jenny have 3 sons.
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Before coming to the Farm, they had lived for many years in Dona Remedies Trinidad – they were 4 families in one single house.
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His father was a house painter and he learned this same job.
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Here in the Philippines, it is common to have several jobs in parallel.
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So Tito June worked as a painter, and he also run a small junk shop business. And he was also a barangay policeman – « baranguay » means neighborhood in Tagalog (one of the main Filipino dialects).
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In 2005, he participated to a 3 days seminar on vermicomposting that was organized in his town : he learned how to create organic fertilizer using worms.
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At the time, he did not sees it as a potential full-time business. But he thought that he could try as a part-time business.
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While continuing to work mainly as a painter, he used the family 500 square meters of land to start experimenting vermicomposting.
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He worked there in the morning.
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That same year, Tito June and Tita Jenny heard about the Gawad Kalinga housebuilding program and decided to contribute to it. They got to know it because they belong to the catholic movement Couples for Christ.
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A parenthesis : the Philippines are a very religious country with a majority of catholic people – an inheritage from the 350 years of Spanish colonization.
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They made this decision because at the time, Tito June, his wife and sons were living in one house with the rest of the whole family (23 people). Participating to the GK program would allow them to live in their own house.
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At the beginning, they travelled everyday to the Farm (which was not yet a Farm !) to build houses for the future community.
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They worked for hours and hours receiving no salary.
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It is the very start and essence of the GK communities : people building houses for the community. Not people building their own house.
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This is a significant expression of the Filipino concept of « bayanihan » – which means working collectively and inclusively to achieve a common goal.
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They continued to earn money through other jobs. Tita Jenny was a « yaya », a nanny, in the town of Angat.
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And two years later, in 2006, they settled in a house in the Enchanted Farm community.
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They continue having several jobs in parallel.
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GK provides support for the education of the children.
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Volunteers come from abroad to help build the Farm. At the time, in 2010, there are no dorms for them. Tita Jenny and Tito June welcome volunteers in their own house.
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Tito June goes to Angat to participate to a new ecowaste management program : he learns more about segregating, recycling, valuing waste.
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At the Farm, there is already a vermicompost workshop. Tito June notices that there is no optimization and no focus on profitability.
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In 2014, he offers the management team to try to make it more performant. The objective was to earn money out of this activity.
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It can be a source of revenue for the farm, and it is also a way to be useful thanks to his knowledge and skills. He says : « I can handle it, otherwise, my learnings go into nothing ».
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He gets a 3 months contract for a test period.
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During this time, he has to show how he can make money out of the vermicompost activity.
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And he manages to do so !
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Tito June likes to tell about the TV team that came to his vermicompost workshop and interviewed him !
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How does vermicompost work ?
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Tito June uses the biodegradable waste of the farm to feed the worms : kitchen waste, (from vegetables and fruits), manure of animals (fumier in French), newspapers.
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The worms are specific worms : « African night crowlers ».
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Aka the « sexy bulate » as Tito June calls them – I mentioned Tito June loves making jokes !
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Bulate means worm in Tagalog.
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When he started, there were 4,5 kg of worms. These worms are expensive – around 1200 Pesos per kilo, that is to say around 24 euros. So Tito June also takes care of their reproduction. Now there are 20 kg of worms in the workshop. The worms’ lifespan is 10 years.
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Tito June takes care of the worms, pouring water, making sure frogs don’t come to eat them…
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The waste is transformed into a natural fertilizer thanks to the digestive system of the worms.
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Tito June has become an expert of the whole process that allows to produce high quality natural vermicompost.
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When the compost is ready, he packages it in 1 kg bags, which are sold at the souvenir shop – 50 Pesos each (1 euro).
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Visitors coming at the farm usually visit Tito June’s workshop and it increases the sales.
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The quality is good so customers make orders and come back.
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Tito June is also an experimenter.
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He is working on a ecowaste test with sweet potatoes (« camote »). And he is also working with Louis, the Free Birds Social Entrepreneur. He is developing a natural antibiotic (made with plants) for the chicken.
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Tito June repeats that it is a family business.
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I ask him what he means.
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He says that the Enchanted Farm helps his son, who received a grant to attend the Social Entrepreneurship University.
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And he gives back to the community taking care of the vermicompost workshop.
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I ask Tito June what are his dreams for the future.
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He says he wants his three kids to pursue their studies and become good professionals.
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So that in their turn they can help others.
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« Like what I am doing ». « I share my knowledge ».
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I say to Tito June that he is an entrepreneur.
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And he says : « No, I am not ! »
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« Why ? », I ask.
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« Because entrepreneurs are always on meeting, having important conversations. On my side I am always here with my worms. »
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I tell him that it is just a different way of being an entrepreneur. I tell him that for me, he is an entrepreneur.
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I ask Tito June what motivates him to come here to work everyday.
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He says : « I feel bless working here. I met a lot of friends. I can do my job easily. I can share my knowledge with others. »
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I ask him what is the hardest thing for him.
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He answers : « A rock or stone. »
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Haha. I had told you he loved joking !
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Then he says that it is to speak English, because he is not so good at English, and sometimes it is hard to express himself.
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On my side, I can tell that Tito June understands what people tell him and is understood when he speaks.
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Even when he makes jokes – the hardest thing to understand in a different language !
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Good luck to you Tito June, sexy bulate entrepreneur !
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