Tags: Food Products, Healthy Food and Drinks, Vegetarian and Organic Food
By Nikka Garriga
TIWI, ALBAY— For most Filipino foodies, seaweeds are often picked and ready-to-eat kinilaw style, served fresh with a splash of vinegar, lime juice and spices to taste.
But residents in this coastal town have managed to make noodles out of this salt-water algae, which has long since become a source of livelihood for the entire community.
Nelia Elacat, one of the members of the Tiwi Food Processors’ Association, said her hometown and its people have come a long way from what started out as a small part-time business established four years ago for the women who needed an additional source of income.
“Back then, we had no training and no machines either. The fishermen would plant and harvest the seaweeds, while the women took over the making the noodles. We did the everything using our hands or mano-mano,” said Nelia.
It eventually caught the eye of the local government, paving the for all the the necessary training on food handling as well as the processors needed for mass production.
“We have evolved to a community enterprise which, in turn, allowed us to provide more jobs not just for the people here but in neighboring towns as well,’ Elacat said.
The association began initially with 35 members and now has about 100 members and counting.
From just seaweed noodles, the town also makes other organic products like malunggay tea and has likewise expanded the noodle’s flavors to include malunggay and pumpkin.
A box of noodles of any variant costs around P50 per kilo, while those in plastic are priced at P40 per kilo. A packet of malunggay tea is meanwhile sold for P10 each.
Get more information about Tiwi Food Processors’ Association
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