Davao chili sauce brand eyes Manila factory

By Almira Louise S. Martinez, Reporter

DAVAO-BASED chili sauce maker Ayana’s Siling Kinamayo is seeing stronger demand in Metro Manila as it boosts its participation in trade fairs and food expos in the National Capital Region.

“In Manila, the demand is really high compared with the Davao region,” Edlun A. Ferrando, owner of Ayana’s Siling Kinamayo, told BusinessWorld in an interview. “In Davao City, we also supply to the malls, that’s why it’s a bit saturated.”

Mr. Ferrando credited the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for helping the brand enter the Manila market through free trade fair slots. “That’s the No. 1 source. People got to know our brand, and we were able to enter the market because of the trade fairs.”

The chili enterprise traces its roots to the aftermath of Super Typhoon Pablo in 2012, which devastated farms across Mindanao and caused P8.5 billion worth of farm damage, based on the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. The banana sector bore the heaviest losses, followed by rice, corn and coconut farms.

“The only thing that sprouted was the chili,” Mr. Ferrando said. “That’s the only thing they were able to produce. That’s why the farmers took advantage of it.”

To aid recovery, the Trade department rolled out livelihood training for affected residents. Mr. Ferrando’s wife Maricel, who had cooking experience from their former eatery, joined the program and showcased her chili sauce recipe.

“They discovered that she knows how to make chili sauce… so the DTI told her to focus on that,” he said.

Production started modestly with 50 bottles per batch using a household blender that often overheated. Today, Ayana’s produces 1,000 to 1,500 bottles daily across five variants, including its flagship Siling Kinamayo made with native chilies, and Dare Devil Sauce featuring Carolina Reaper peppers.

Flavor preferences differ by region, Mr. Ferrando said.

“In Manila, the people there are fond of something sweet,” he said. “In Mindanao, in the western part, they are fond of something spicy because of our Muslim brothers. In the Visayas, they are not fond of spicy food.”

“It depends on the taste of the people, that’s where we base our flavors,” he added.

To support its expanding Metro Manila market, Ayana’s is considering setting up a small processing facility in the capital to reduce shipping costs.

“It would be better if there were small batches of production there. We are looking for a small processing area, as long as it’s okay with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration),” Mr. Ferrando said.

The company aims to hit P500,000 in sales by year-end.