Summary

Iluminada Calbuyao, a resident of Tabuk City, Kalinga, is married to Samuel and is with one kid. Since childhood, she is exposed to their family business of planting rice crops and trading rice grains. In 2008, she formally started her business of trading organic rice grain products. She buys unhusked rice grains from the Unoy Farmers Association in Kalinga. The rice grains are milled and made into unoy-based (or rice-based) products like champorado (chocolate) rice , unoy noodles, unoy chili paste, and unoy wine. The word ‘unoy’ is a Kalinga dialect for organic rice and is grown without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. 

Her business is named “Kalinga Food Treat” and it has been operational for seven years. To help the community, Iluminada employs four regular workers and has part-time workers that are from Butbut Tribe which are provided with free meal, aside from compensation.

Lendahand will provide the loan to Iluminada together with local partner NPFC.