Tinukib Cafe and Souvenirs: buying local products made easier

The opening of Tinukib Cafe and Souvenirs near Jaro Plaza now makes buying locally made products easier thus benefitting local entrepreneurs because they can reach more people.





“Tinukib” means to discover. Indeed, there are many items to discover such as food and beverage like Tablea Tsokolate, Turmeric or Ginger Powder, Mango or Ube Piyaya, Mango Calamansi Concentrate, Barquillos, Lengua de Gato, Trappist Jellies, Atsarang Mangga, Kape Miro, Organic Rice, Muscovado Sugar and a lot more; as well as hablon, woven bags, crafts, woodworks and home furnishings.


HELPING MICROENTREPRENEURS AND THE POOR

Tinukib Cafe and Souvenirs is operated by Taytay sang Kauswagan, Inc. (TSKI). It aims to provide an avenue for microentrepreneurs to sell their products to the public.


“The main mission of TSKI is to make the love of Jesus Christ be felt by the poor,” said TSKI’s Chairman Angel de Leon.




For example, the woven household items were made by the ati community of Sitio Nagpana in Barotac Viejo. One of its members, Richell Arsaga said that this has become her source of income for the past 15 years and has helped bring up her 6 children.


According to TSKI's poster featuring Arsaga, she was earning P500 a week for selling handcrafted nito products. After learning more about product development, she and her fellow members became more creative in making trays, placemats, coasters and other household items. When TSKI marketed their products, they made even more. Currently, Arsaga earns P8,000 a month depending on the bulk of orders.


The same ati community also makes Kape Miro.




Meanwhile, Girlie Flores is passionate about reviving the century-old loom weaving tradition in Iloilo. So, after getting a loan from TSKI, she started the production of her hablon which she markets not only in Miag-ao and Tinukib showrooms in Iloilo but also in national trade fairs. She now assists 30 weavers.


ACCESSIBLE SITES

“We want to help microentrepreneurs raise their standard of living by helping them market their products. Our role is to work hand in hand to promote our local products and showcase them to tourists,” Cherry Ganancial, managing director said on the establishment of the first Tinukib showroom in Pavia in 2013.


Then, they established their second showroom in Festive Walk, Megaworld Iloilo Business Park in December 2016. The place is a strategic location for local and foreign tourists visiting the area.




Then in October 2017, they transferred their Pavia showroom to Casa Gamboa in Jaro. Now, Tinukib Cafe and Souvenirs is not just a showroom for local products but also of Iloilo’s rich heritage.


“This place is a historical site. The revolutionary flag of Sta. Barbara was first delivered in this place; the flag that started the Ilonggo revolution against the Spaniards,” said de Leon referring to Casa Gamboa, the ancestral home of heroine Patrocinio Gamboa.




In fact, steps to make Casa Gamboa a museum are underway. “We will feature snippets of Jaro life in the 19th century, its rich cultural heritage. Casa Gamboa will underscore the relevance of the story of the revolution in Western Visayas,” said Joyce Colon of Western Visayas State University’s Division of Social Sciences.


We can be one with TSKI in its vision of seeing families living self-sufficient lives, let’s support our local products. For updates, follow Tinukib on Facebook/











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