social enterprise – Jellybeans in the City

Guiltless snacking with Mom’s Haus of Mushroom

Spending all this time at home and going on TV binge-watching sprees sure do give us quite an appetite, doesn’t it?

If the thought of stuffing your face with junk food fills you with dread, you’re in luck! You won’t have to wallow in guilt when you indulge your snack cravings with treats from Mom’s Haus of Mushroom.

These appetizing treats are produced by Food For Thought Live Well Together Corp., a social enterprise that seeks to address unemployment in the countryside by providing jobs and optimizing the local agriculture.

It produces extremely snackable crispy mushroom chips, perfect for munching on while watching your favorite TV series, to fill the tummy with something delish in-between meals or a show-stopping addition to an appetizer spread.

These crispy mushroom chips are all made with wholesome and natural ingredients: freshly picked mushrooms, vegetable oil, wheat flour, egg whites and spices, onion, vinegar and natural flavorings (salted egg, garlic and chili). These chips are baked to yummy crispiness and are available in 25g and 100g packs in several flavors, which include:

Original. The honest-to-goodness taste of mushroom in every piece!

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Garlic. A well-balanced nutty mushroom flavor with a hint of garlicky spice.

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Salted Egg. The earthy taste of mushroom refined with the richness of salted egg.

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Chili. Want your snack with a bit of a spicy kick? Well, this one’s for you!

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So be bold and have good eats without the guilt. Stock up on Mom’s Haus of Mushroom Crispy Mushroom Chips today!

For more deets on Mom’s Haus of Mushroom, its products and its social enterprise initiatives, check out its website or follow it on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

Charles & Keith partners with local brand Woven to benefit local women weavers

Did you know that international fashion brand CHARLES & KEITH recently released a capsule collection of Pinoy-made hand-woven products? Through its collaboration with Woven, a Philippine-based social enterprise, it produced a special capsule collection inspired by the theme “Empowering Women of Tomorrow.” This collection consists of four unique products – a tote bag, a circle top handle bag, a clutch and a pouch – all made of banig, dried grass and dyed palm leaves that are handwoven by skilled artisans based in Basey, Samar. For every product sold from the collection, 20% of the net sales would be donated to the weavers of Woven.

This partnership is part of a movement to provide women with vital skills to better their lives and give them a voice in their communities. Through this partnership, CHARLES & KEITH is continuing its efforts to achieve the vision of a world that is free from gender discrimination, inequality and violence. Woven, on the other hand, will be able to continue providing skills and leadership training to the women in the hopes of inspiring the next generation of young women to continue the craft.

Trish Lim, co-founder and CEO of Woven, sees the partnership as a way for local women to be able to carry on the tradition of weaving in their communities.

“It’s wonderful to see women use their talents, skills and knowledge to create opportunities for other women and make their lives better.” she shares.

The partnership also enables Woven’s weavers to feel empowered from having a sustainable source of livelihood that allows them provide three meals a day and education for their children.

The CHARLES & KEITH capsule collection for International Women’s Day 2019 has been available on CHARLESKEITH.COM—excluding the UK, EU and Japan markets since March 7.

About CHARLES & KEITH
Fashion entrepreneurs, Charles & Keith Wong founded CHARLES & KEITH in 1996 upon identifying the potential of footwear designs catered for eastern women. CHARLES & KEITH is the go-to fashion destination for stylish urbanites, recognized for its desirable fashion and curated collections of relevant designs. With women as the central focus, the brand has developed a full-fledged line of footwear, bags, eyewear, accessories and costume jewelry. Pushing forward four brand values: Experimental, Desirable, Curated and Modernity, the brand aims to celebrate women and inspire fashion and beauty every day. CHARLES & KEITH extends beyond brick-and-mortar with online shopping CHARLESKEITH.COM, making the brand available through the United States of America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

About WOVEN
As a social enterprise that aims to uplift the lives of artisans in the Philippines, Woven strives to work directly with crafts communities to create products that bring value to their work, their lives, and cultural traditions. It started in the town of Basey, Samar after it was devastated by super typhoon Yolanda. While doing research and area development plans there, the founders came upon the banig weavers who created beautiful mats made from tikog and buri. With the help of various NGOs, the enterprise organized the artisans into community craft associations, maneuvered an increase in the industry price of banigs, and raised individual incomes by more than double. Ultimately, Woven aims to craft better opportunities for empowered craftsmen and women, for their families, and for the next weaving generations. www.wovenph.com.

Details and images provided by Woven in a recent press release.

Social Enterprise Drives First Harvest Nut Spreads

I discovered two new nut spreads while I was shopping for baking supplies at one of my happy places, All About Baking in SM City East Ortigas: First Harvest’s Coco Sugar Peanut Spread and Peanut Crunch with Rice Pops. At first, I was attracted to their packaging: it looks quite premium and artisanal. Upon closer inspection, I was happy to discover that First Harvest is a homegrown brand.

The production and sales of First Harvest’s offerings provide employment and skills development to the mothers in the Gawad Kalinga village in Angat, Bulacan. All ingredients used in the products are grown or sourced locally and prepared into these artisanal nut butters using traditional methods, and without the use of artificial preservatives. Furthermore, the enterprise’s profits also helps fund college scholarships for local youth.

Being a peanut butter aficionado, I just knew I had to try these out. The variants below are the ones stocked at my nearest All About Baking outlet.

Coco Sugar Peanut Spread (Php160/250g)

It has a smooth and creamy texture that spreads well and evenly on white bread, perfect for my son who likes his peanut butter just so. Churned with less oil and made using coco sugar as sweetener, it is a relatively healthier nut spread at 50 calories per 2 tbsp serving.

Ingredients: Peanuts, Coco Sugar, Canola Oil, Iodized Salt

Peanut Crunch with Rice Pops (Php170/250g)

I prefer some texture in my nut butters so this crunchy variant is a winner for me. Sweetened with honey and made crunchy with pinipig bits, it goes well with wheat bread. The additions that give it a sweeter taste and a popping crunchy texture do take their toll however; a 2 tbsp serving is at 170 calories (but it was worth it!).

Ingredients: Peanuts, Rice Pops, Canola Oil, Iodized Salt

These nut spreads are of high quality, comparable to imported products that I have tried recently. I had to expend some effort to remix the nut spreads before applying them to my toasts due the separation of the oil from the rest of the mixture. I didn’t mind, though. That’s the consequence of not using artificial stabilizers, etc.

And since the products are made with much love by the nanays of a rural community, I wouldn’t mind supporting them by regularly buying First Harvest nut butters so I can help spread the love to my family. (I even hounded the staff of All About Baking to inform me of when they restock their First Harvest Peanut Crunch.)

If you like peanut butter whether as a spread or as an ingredient for your culinary masterpieces, do give First Harvest a try.

I’m looking forward to trying out the original First Harvest Peanut Butter (the one sweetened by honey instead of coco sugar) and the brand’s Salted Coco Caramel (a twist to my childhood’s classic coco jam).

FIRST HARVEST

Address: GK Enchanted Farm California Street, Brgy. Encanto Angat, Bulacan Philippines 3012

Mobile: +63 90538-24447

Instagram: @firstharvest

Twitter: @firstharvestph

Facebook: FirstHarvestFoods

E-mail: inquire@firstharvest.ph