STUCK at their homes for so long due to the prolonged implementation of enhance community quarantine, plantitos and plantitas—the titles that refer to those that have bought, planted and even named their plant companions—have risen as a household trend amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
What started as a mere hobby to while away time and boredom, however, has unexpectedly paved the way for the popularity of gardening that could be a profitable livelihood and key to food security.
Thirty eight-year-old Joanne Bondoc, who started their family-owned urban garden shop called Lush Herbs and More together with her younger siblings Joshua and Jan Michael, could attest to that.
“Since we love preparing home-cooked meals and tea concoctions, my affair with growing herbs started last May 2020 due to the pandemic and for personal consumption,” she told the BusinessMirror in an
e-mail interview.
Living in a serene community in Tarlac, fresh and organic herbs and spices are somehow difficult to find in nearby grocery stores, according to her.
The lack of these leafy green or flowering parts of a plant, as well as dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substances has opened a chance for her to grow homegrown flavorings or garnishing right at their own backyard.
“From fresh herbs to value-added products such as dried herbs, herbal tea, jam, jellies, extracts and so on, there’s a lot of endless possibilities and opportunities with herbs,” she said.
Starting small
UNLIKE other plantitos and plantitas out there who have just found their inclination to growing plants amid the unprecedented health crisis, Joanne already had developed a green thumb at a young age.
“My parents used to have an orchid shop in the early 1990s which heavily influenced our interest in gardening,” she recalled.
As the pandemic creates demand for online selling, gardening and growing food for own consumption, she decided to put again into good use this experience by establishing their own urban garden shop that sells fresh herbs and nutrient-packed superfood plants.
Luckily, she and her family, were able to develop their 240 square meter vacant lot before the pandemic. It serves as a mini and improvised nursery and home of different herbs, spices and fruit bearing trees in repurposed containers.
With a starting capital of P25,000, they bought seeds, motherplant, seedling bag, basic gardening tools and equipment. The amount also covered other related overhead expenses to start the business.
“Harvesting our own produce at home is such a rewarding and satisfying experience,” the self-confessed plantita said. “We realized that this will be an interesting and profitable business.”
Budding livelihood
LOCATED at Mangga 1-B, Matatalaib, Tarlac City, Lush Herbs and More was formally established in July 2020 in line with the Department of Agriculture’s Basic Urban Gardening initiatives that the siblings wanted to promote in their neighborhood.
“My sister [Joanne] was diligently posting her planting efforts in Facebook and we got inquiries if we are going to sell these herb plants,” shared Joshua, head of marketing communications. “We started selling to friends and relatives then later on we decided to establish Lush Herbs and More so we can cater our local community.”
Starting by just selling 15 different kinds of culinary herbs and mulberry seedlings, it now has expanded to 20 kinds of culinary herbs and added different categories, such as medicinal herbs, aromatherapy herbs, rare aromatics and spices, and edible flowers.
To make the business a stand out amid competition, he emphasized the need to be creative and innovative while making a social impact.
For instance, he cited their initiative to have personally curated packages in sustainably sourced packaging, such as herbs in hand-woven pandan bag or kit that involves engaging activities such as DIY Mojito and Gin & Tonic.
In support of budding plantitas and plantitos, Joanne added that they came up with an exclusive herb care guide that customers can access on their mobile devices. It also comes in QR code format in gift cards.
“Our mission is to provide high-quality herbs with best customer experience journey and create fun, memorable gardening experience at home,” she said.
Working on a limited space, the Bondoc family has turned to container gardening to maximize the potential of their urban garden shop. They have also began growing grafted fruit-bearing trees and spices in repurposed green plastic drums.
To realize their dream of having an urban beekeeping business, they decided to acquire stingless bee colony last November 2020. This honey-producing venture complements well the Lush Herbs and More as the bees serve as good pollinator of high value crops they grow in the garden.
Flourishing business
DESPITE the ongoing pandemic, the year 2021 kicked off to a good start for urban garden shop given the growing market needs for fresh and organic culinary herbs and public interest in gardening.
“We were able to get inquiries outside Tarlac province but we cannot accommodate to ship yet,” shared Joanne, who also serves as the head of operations.
Due to the huge demand, she said they need to source to local farmers and suppliers in Northern Luzon and Southern Luzon for herbs and Mindanao to source several spices.
“In this way, we are helping our local farmers by bringing their products among different areas,” she said.
Conceding that the business does not always run smoothly, Joanne admitted that they also face some problems typical to such kind of an agricultural venture.
“Since we are on a small-scale production yet, its more on the environmental challenges such as pest management and changes with the weather,” she said.
Recognizing that weather and pest can often be unpredictable and can easily damage plants, she pointed out their need to anticipate and devote time and effort to mitigate these difficulties.
Going organic is also a way for their business to thrive, Joanne said, adding that, “As much as possible, we also encourage our customers to consider organic farming practices by using natural ways in all aspects of gardening. Using vermicast and fermented plant juice are one of the most effective medium to fertilize our plants, while mild solution of neem oil and water for pest management.”
Sustainable future growth
SEEING that the demand for food will keep on increasing further given the current situation when the country and the rest of the world are still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic, the head of operations of Lush Herbs and More strongly believes that urban gardening will likewise continue to flourish even after the health crisis.
For Joshua, on the other hand, he is bullish that the herb business will still meet the market demand and provide profitable entrepreneurial opportunities as the DA intensified its call for communities and households to start vegetable gardening and launch nationwide programs to help boost food security in the country.
Expecting all of these could happen in the near future, this start-up currently being ran by the three siblings together with two other family members seeks to expand soon and be able to provide employment opportunities for others, Joanne revealed. Product differentiation, building good relationships to customers, pricing schemes, and improved customer retention are some of the business strategies in the pipeline, she disclosed.
“Aside from introducing and adding new product offerings for our local community, we are hoping that Lush Herbs and More will be a social enterprise in the future by promoting health and well-being through herbs, growing and selling herbs to fund community programs within the garden and the local community that help people engage with the natural environment,” she stressed.
