Anjing, Anjong, and Jojie Cubero come from Davao, a banana-growing area, but moved to Cagayan de Oro a number of years ago. It was clear that one day they would take over their grandfather’s ranch in Bukidnon; but what would they do with it?

Anjong had a strong background in banana-growing, having watched how the big plantations back in Davao operate. Anjong and his sisters’ business degrees in col-lege meant that the three of them together had a good grounding in both agriculture and business. But there was still something which was holding them back.

Jojie heard about CEFE entrepreneurship training and imme-diately asked her father whether she could attend, as the course fees were P5,000. Since he felt that it would be a good investment, he agreed and she took part in a CEFE new business creation (NBC) creation in 1996. She got so much benefit that she recommended CEFE to her brother, who then registered for an existing entrepreneurs’ course (EEC) held in April of this year. These were run by Xavier Science Foundation, one of the CEFE training organizations in Cagayan de Oro. Jojie was able to put the finishing touches to their business plan, particularly the marketing side, which enabled them to get their first loan from UCPB Rural Bank. "The Johari Window and SWOT analysis were very helpful to me personally. Doing the mar-ket study and working out the cost and return analysis helped me make the business much more realistic," commented Jojie.

Anjong says that he went to the EEC because he wanted to firm up the future expansion of the project when they took on a larger area. "You get Johari Window and Business Plan in college, but it’s not realistic yet at that stage. Working out the business expansion plan myself meant I got a much broader view and was able to get my priorities straight. I was able to recognize my capabilities and develop much better knowledge on the importance of teamwork. In banana growing, team-building is really the only way to achieve quality, which is the key to our success."

Anjing, Anjong, and Jojie formed a company and called it MAMA International Trading, after their and their youngest sister’s middle initials. Using tissue culture from Davao, planting be-gan in early 1996 on their grand-father’s 11.66 hectare farm at the edge of the Del Monte plantation in the town of Libona. They started har-vesting in February this year at 300 kg per week; this has since increased to 3,500 kg per week by September. All the techniques have been adapted from Anjong’s experiences on large plantations, and this meant a great change from the traditional way of doing things in Bukidnon. It starts already by wrapping the banana bunches with chemically impregnated plastic bags and using coded colored tags to ensure that the bananas are harvested at the right time. Then there are new carrying trays to bring them from the cutting area to the washing area. "We cover our bananas with special blue plastic to create a mini-climate and prevent insect damage. The trays are uncomfortable to use but it’s the only way to maintain excellent quality without any bruise to the fruit. After washing and drying, the packing is just as important because the plastic crates are expensive but really effective. Our bananas command a good price and our customers really appreciate the quality we give them," says Anjong.

Jojie emphasi-zes that it is much easier for her to market this quality to retail stores, hotels, restau-rants, and offices in Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod, their main markets. Their latest expansion involves multi-cropping of mangosteen, guava, durian, and calamansi, also intended to be at the high-quality end of the market. From employing fourteen workers at the moment, they intend to have twenty-five workers within the next two years. "Supporting twenty-five families will be an important achievement for us," says Anjong. "There are still a lot of expansion possibilities untapped . . . But without the CEFE entrepreneurship training and the team-building I learned, we would not have achieved this so fast. Anjing, who manages our finances, will soon attend CEFE too so we will all speak the same language," concludes Anjong.

Carlos Antonio P. Cubero President MAMA International, Inc. Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro City Tel 0912-701-4588 0912-701-8075 (08822) 72-89-97