INVITED to be the very first farmers’ group to join the Jollibee Group Foundation’s (JGF) Farmers Entrepreneurship Program (FEP) in 2009, the members of the Nueva Ecija-based Kalasag Multi-Purpose Cooperative accepted without hesitation.
Kalasag chairman Arnold Dizon recalled one reason: “… there would be a sure market for what we would plant and harvest… and that is what has given us relief and security. In the past, we just kept planting, even if there was no sure market.”
Kalasag board director Mary Jing Contawe said that Kalasag joining the program gave her direct access to market and stability in prices of her produce. Prior to joining, she had worked in the onion fields since childhood to help her parents who were independent farmers lacking the bargaining power to negotiate fair prices when dealing with local buyers.
Their family “didn’t know where to get the money needed to fund the farm operations. Without access to a market, it was very difficult to sell our produce,” she said. Today, in contrast, through her farm earnings, she recently acquired a brand-new hand tractor.
The growth of Kalasag, its name combining that of barangay Kalinawagan and San Agustin, was discussed during a farm tour with media in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, on June 25–26. For the past 16 years, the cooperative has been supplying onions to the Jollibee Group’s vast fast-food and restaurant chains. To date, it has delivered over 7 million kilograms of onions to the company.
Since its establishment, Kalasag has expanded its membership from the original 30 founding farmer-members to 105. It has included in its area of operations the barangay of Villa Marina and Barangay ABAR 1st.
Onion peeling at the Kalasag Multi-Purpose Cooperative’s Hanger.
According to JGF program officer Takahiro Tateno, the FEP shifts farmers from the traditional farming practice of “plant first and look for the market before harvest” to an entrepreneurial mindset and a market-driven approach to farming. It provides training, resources and direct market access to farmers. Its goal: making them long-term partners in the Jollibee supply chain while increasing their profits and improving their livelihoods.
Industry realities
Small farms, traditional farming practices and limited financing access shape the realities on the ground, Tateno said. On the other hand, the Jollibee Group requires volume and quality of produce, with time as an essential factor. To enable the farmers to meet institutional market standards, the foundation adopted the Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach (AECA) which Tateno described as “the capacity-building framework that we use with our local implementing partners (LIP) who, in turn, will train the farmers’ organizations.” In Kalasag’s case, the San Jose City local government unit (LGU) acts as the foundation’s LIP.
AECA organizes farmers into small cluster groups of 10 to 15 members, teaches them skills to engage in collective marketing and participate actively in the value chain. By working as a group, farmers become stronger and more resilient in navigating volatile market conditions and the various challenges of farming and business.
The foundation works with organizations like the LGUs, academe, microfinance institutions, nongovernment organizations and civil society organizations that support farmer organizations in order to implement the AECA strategy.
Through JGF’s grants, government agencies and other local partners, Kalasag has established infrastructure and facilities that enhance its operations. These include a hangar or consolidation area that serves as the center of the cooperative’s activities, a cold storage facility with a capacity of 10,000 bags of onions, a delivery truck, an onion sorter and an onion dispenser.
When it comes to socio-economic impact, postharvest activities such as onion peeling provide community members additional means to earn income.
Kalasag is the first cooperative in the country to receive certifications for Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), as well as Asiagap and Japan GAP. It has been recognized by the Department of Agriculture Region 3 (Central Luzon) as a legitimate Civil Society Organization partner. It is a beneficiary of the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund.
Mary Jing Contawe shows her newly acquired hand tractor.
At the Jollibee Group Supplier Summit, Kalasag was honored as a Silver Awardee in 2024 and 2025, also receiving the Special Award for Quality in each year. In 2025, it additionally won the Special Award for Cost.
Looking back, Kalasag general manager Wencelito Gomez said the cooperative was borne out of small farmers’ small dreams. Now as empowered agro-entrepreneurs, Kalasag farmers are confident they can dream big and look forward to a better future.
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