By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

FAMILY-RUN habanero farm and pepper product maker Granja Jordana is looking to boost its presence in the Philippines’ expanding condiment sector, aiming to position its flagship hot sauce In-DANG! on grocery shelves beside international mainstays like sriracha and Tabasco.

“There are other local habanero sauces out there, but what sets us apart is our direct connection to the land,” Martin Jordana, founder of Granja Jordana, told BusinessWorld. “We grow the peppers ourselves, work with local farmers and proudly use Filipino ingredients.”

Based in Indang, Cavite, the business started in 2022 as a greenhouse farm aimed at making better use of the family’s land. It pivoted to pepper product manufacturing in 2023 after being named Indang’s first regional awardee of the Department of Agriculture’s Young Farmers Challenge.

“They advised us to move away from fresh produce due to its low profit margins and to start developing our own products,” Mr. Jordana said.

Encouraged by Philippine Hot Sauce Federation President Eric Paulo Del Rosario, the brand launched its first bottled product: the In-DANG! hot sauce line. Since then, Granja Jordana has focused on creating value-added products from its own habanero harvests.

Martin now runs the business with his sister Nuria Jordana, a culinary arts graduate from La Salle Benilde and a former food stylist. Together, the siblings faced numerous hurdles in their first year of operation, including pest infestations and nutrient issues on their crops.

“It took some time for us to get the right mix of fertilizers and pesticides,” Mr. Jordana said. “We also had to make the tough call to replace our first batch of consultants with a more experienced agriculturist who understood chili cultivation better. That decision helped stabilize our yields.”

Storage and shelf-life were also major early challenges — ones shared by many Filipino farmers. “We solved that problem through freezing and dehydrating, which gave us consistency and minimized waste,” he said.

Though still a small operation, Granja Jordana now sells directly to consumers through its website and social media pages. The company averages 60 to 100 online sales each month and is exploring physical retail partnerships, including a possible supply deal with a store in Cebu. 

“Spicy products are still a niche locally, but we believe we’re just getting started,” Mr. Jordana said.

The farm is also preparing to roll out new items, including a pineapple-habanero sauce and habanero powder.

Looking at the broader market, Mr. Jordana cited industry figures showing that sauces and condiments in the Philippines surpassed $1 billion in sales in 2024, with hot sauces accounting for about $85 million or roughly 8% of the total.

Beyond expanding online sales, Granja Jordana has medium- and long-term goals that include entering mainstream groceries and exporting its products abroad. Target markets include Spain, Ireland, the UK and the US.

Mr. Jordana also revealed plans to transform part of the family farm into an agri-tourism destination, with on-site cabins that will allow guests to experience habanero farming firsthand. “That ties in well with Indang’s own identity as an agri-tourism hub,” he said.

Despite the business’s modest size, he expressed optimism about the future. “We’re confident that with time, we can introduce the world to Filipino-grown, Filipino-made heat.”

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