In the Philippines, there’s a growing movement toward healthier lifestyles, as individuals are increasingly opting for whole, organic food. There’s also a shift toward mindful eating practices, and along with this, a rising demand for locally-sourced, organic produce.
So, as part of KUBO’s series of wellness specials this month, we’re identifying places where balikbayans likewise pursuing a healthier lifestyle can shop locally-sourced, organic produce while visiting PH.
Local markets: Highlighting small entrepreneurs and start-ups
Every city and municipality in the Philippines has their own palengke (wet market). If you’re unsure, any local will be able to give you directions, or at the very least tell you what jeepneys or tricycles to ride to get there. A few of the most well-known wet markets include Cubao Farmers Market (which has some of the freshest salmon sashimi) and Divisoria in Metro Manila, Baguio City Market and La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post in Baguio City, the Carbon Market in Cebu City, and Bangkerohan Market in Davao City. If you’re planning to head to any of these places, make sure to wear comfortable clothes and bring your own sako (sack) bag or bayong (basket).
There are also more specialized markets around, most of which offer curated products from small farms and entrepreneurs. While these have fewer suppliers compared to big public markets, they’re the best places to find healthy, organic, fresh, and delicious treats from the local community.
Salcedo Community Market
Location: Salcedo Park, Salcedo Village, Makati, Metro Manila
Contact detail/s: +63998-4077411
The Salcedo Community Market (or simply “Salcedo Market”) has long been famous not just for fresh produce but also for interesting food choices that are hard to find anywhere else. Happening every weekend, the market has become a regular hub for nearby residents and even for those outside the city looking for sustainably farmed goods and authentic local delicacies.
It has everything from freshly-picked fruits and kesong puti (white cheese made of goat or carabao’s milk) to wooden kitchen implements and traditional textiles. If you’re looking for the full experience of getting to pick many healthy finds and delicious grub, you’d better catch the market early as it only runs from 7a.m. to 2p.m. every Saturday.
Legaspi Sunday Market
Location: Corinthian Carpark, 121 Paseo de Roxas Street, Legaspi Village, Barangay San Lorenzo, Makati
Contact details: +63918-9657825, [email protected]
Similar to the Salcedo Community Market, the Legaspi Sunday Market also features local produce at good prices. In-season fruits, vegetables, and flowers make this a great one-stop shop for quality greens.
Aside from these, the market also offers a lot of local delicacies such as longganisa and malagkit (desserts made from sticky rice). They even have stalls selling Filipino-made clothes, crafts, bags, and other household items.
Legaspi Sunday Market is open every Sunday, from 8a.m. to 3p.m.
Ayala Alabang Saturday Market
Location: 117 University Ave., Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa
Contact detail/s: (+632) 8809-2282
Located at the south of Metro Manila, the Ayala Alabang Saturday Market primarily serves as the weekend go-to of the Ayala Alabang community for organic produce and products. Operating for more than 25 years, it offers more than what your regular palengke can without the supermarket markup, such as fresh batches of cherries, a wide selection of herbs, and colorful blooms. It’s also a great place to grab breakfast, as it has stalls that offer good coffee and newly-baked breads.
Browsing the market also gives you the opportunity to discover Philippine-made clothes and crafts. Local fabrics are often featured and beautiful abaca bags are almost always up for sale. It’s also a place to find and support new and small businesses.
Ayala Alabang Saturday Market is open every Saturday, starting at 6a.m.
Kai Farms
Location: Tagaytay City, Philippines
Contact details: +63998-5934832, [email protected], kaifarms.ph
Kai Farms’ vision is simple: making organic produce accessible to all Filipinos as every Filipino has the right to eat well. The focus is on indigenous fruits and vegetables grown through the principles of permaculture.
As a result, Kai Farms’ produce is sustainably cultivated, properly ripened and pesticide-free. Offerings change based on the season and are available for ordering online.
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Of course, it would be best to actually experience Kai Farms for yourself. Aside from being able to buy just-harvested greens, there are also other activities for you to enjoy, such as organic farming sessions and nature walks. Contact them if you wish to book a day tour.
Nurture Farmacy
Location: Pulong Sagingan, Barangay Maitim II West Luzon, Tagaytay, Cavite
Contact details: +63917-6878873, [email protected], nurture.com.ph
Nurture Farmacy is a farm just a stone’s throw away from the famous spa destination Nurture Wellness Village. It was initially established to supply organic, pesticide-free produce for the establishment’s in-house restaurant, which during the pandemic has been taken over by the Raintree group of restaurants’ The Farmer’s Table, which offers fresh farm-to-table cuisine and baked goods. Today, it is a Department of Tourism-accredited tourist destination and an important pillar in Nurture’s holistic approach to health.
Here, you can harvest and buy your own produce to bring home with you—the same fresh ingredients you’ll likely find in the deliciously healthy dishes of The Farmer’s Table. Nurture Wellness Village is also well known for their spa and retreat packages, so if you’re already there, try to make it a two- to three-day visit. Among the activities that come with a stay at Nurture is a tour of Nurture Farmacy and the many uses of the vegetables and herbs they grow and sell there.
Nurture Farmacy and Nurture Wellness Village open at 7a.m. daily.
Negros Farmers Weekend Market
Location: Magsaysay Avenue, Bacolod City
Contact detail/s: +63927-9368187, [email protected], negrosmarket.com
The Negros Farmers Weekend Market is an impressive 1.2-hectare trading hub for farmers, allowing them to directly interact with their customers and giving them full profit. Inspired by the Salcedo and Legaspi Village Markets, it offers fresh seafood and produce, local delicacies, and products.
It aims to support sustainable agriculture and to continuously educate both suppliers and consumers on food safety, organic farming, solid waste management, and more. It’s a great way to experience some of the best that Negros has to offer and you can be sure that everything comes in fresh.
The Negros Farmers Weekend Market is open every weekend, from 7a.m. to 1p.m.
Farmers Market of General Santos
Location: Lagao, General Santos City
Contact detail/s: +63939-9072500
The Farmers Market of General Santos has interesting beginnings, as it was the brainchild of business owner Rue Ramas, who invited farmers, fishermen, and other suppliers to her own property to sell their goods. Although not as big as other farmers markets, this space continues to flourish and offer not only some of the freshest veggies in the area, but also awesome seafood that GenSan is known for. Don’t forget to stop by the Talaba (Oyster) Station, open on Sundays, 6a.m. to noon, and get your shellfish cravings satisfied!
The Farmers Market of General Santos is open every Saturday, starting at 6a.m.
Community initiatives: Partnering with local farmers and improving their way of life
Session Groceries
Location: Baguio City and online via app (download from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store)
Website: Session Groceries
Iloisa Romaraog-Diga and Cathy Suarez’ Session Groceries started as a simple grocery app based in Baguio, until a typhoon and subsequent market price crash revealed how much farmers needed a way to reach consumers without being short-changed of their profit. It was then that Session Groceries became a merging of the founders’ dream of launching an app-based grocery and their advocacy of supporting those who work the soil.
Session Groceries now partners with different farmers, training them in marketing and entrepreneurship and hosting them on their app. From the app, you can order everything from Baguio-famous strawberries to kale, and even sauces and spreads. Session Groceries has promos where you can buy your produce on sale, knowing the farms they’re from still gain proper returns.
Good Food Community
Location: Online and at Good Food Sundays in Mandala Park, Pleasant Hills, Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila
Contact detail/s: +63939-9344663, [email protected]
The Good Food Community is another organization that works directly with farmers. By finding and ensuring buyers, it gives farmers the chance to focus on growing organic and sustainable produce that are harvested at the right time, without having to worry about spoilage and waste due to an exacerbated supply chain.
While you can shop produce from their partner farms on their online shop, the organization also hosts Good Food Sundays in Mandala Park along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City, which happens every Sunday from 10a.m. to 5p.m. Here, they feature their partners and other small enterprises, and sometimes even host educational talks on healthy food and living. Good Food Sundays are also a vegan’s haven, as many of their merchants have plant-based offerings.
BGC Community Farm
Location: The Flats, corner 5th and 34th Streets, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila
Contact detail/s: +63920-9030992, [email protected], urbanfarmersph.com
A small, green oasis at the heart of the bustling Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, the BGC Community Farm is run by Urban Farmers PH, a group that advocates the propagation of fresh and pesticide-free produce in idle, empty lots of highly urbanized cities.
Opened to the public during the pandemic in 2022, the farm now produces flowers and vegetables that you yourself can harvest for a fee. You can also volunteer your time and help tend the land as well as attend their Farming 101 workshop to get you started on your own little spot of green in your city.
The BGC Community Farm is open daily from 6a.m. to 8p.m.
Community Pantry PH
Website: Community Pantry PH on Facebook
Community Pantry PH was started by change-maker Patreng Non during the height of the pandemic, when many lost their jobs and the ability to put food on the table. With the tagline “Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan, kumuha ayon sa pangangailangan” (“Give only what you can, get only what you need”), many community pantry initiatives popped up in different parts of the country, promoting a more equitable way of food distribution.
When the pandemic waned, Community Pantry PH focused on “#gulayrescue” (“vegetable rescue”). As many local crops go to waste due to high middleman rates and transportation issues, gulay rescue became a way to help farmers get their produce directly to consumers. Community Pantry PH does not only bring into focus the needs of rural farmers, but it also works with other organizations such as SUKI Network to connect consumers directly to farmers to buy fruits and vegetables per sack or per kilo at the ethical rates.
Vegetable rescues and sales do not have regular schedules, so the best way to be in the know is to monitor the Community Pantry PH Facebook page for updates.
Groceries: Established hubs for your every need
Healthy Options
Locations and contact details: Store Locator – Healthy Options
Healthy Options has been around since the 1990s and has since established many stores around the country. While it’s an all-around grocery with a huge selection of health supplements, wholesome snacks, and cruelty-free skin and hair care products from around the world, in recent years it started selling fresh meats and produce, some of which are locally sourced. Healthy Options partners with local farmers for many of their greens and pushes for a sustainable market relationship.
Produce is available in all their stores, but more varieties are offered in their bigger branches such as the one at Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong and Uptown Mall in BGC, Taguig. Local produce is also available on their website.
Real Food
Locations: Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati; Unit 13A Molito Lifestyle Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa; ICON Showroom, 5th Avenue corner 25th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Contact details: Store Locator | Real Food PH
Real Food is all about supporting and trading wholesome food that have come from different parts of the country, including Surigao, Pangasinan, and Batangas. Aside from common fruits and vegetables, the store also brings in unique pickings such as gooseberries and native raspberries (yes, we do have them). Real Food’s thrust is eating good and feeling good, which is why they ensure that all products are organic and chemical-free.
The Vegan Grocer
Locations: Online and at 201 Recto Street, Barangay Addition Hills, San Juan, Metro Manila
If you enjoy a plant-based diet, The Vegan Grocer is your one-stop shop for everything that you need. It has locally- and internationally-sourced fresh and organic produce that you can buy online, although we would recommend going to their store in San Juan to see more of what’s on hand.
Their brick-and-mortar store is a vegan’s paradise, as it has almost everything that those who practice a plant-based lifestyle need. They also regularly update customers of new products and price changes on their Facebook page, so it would be easier for you to budget on a regular basis.
