Proudly Local Gifts That are Sure to Impress
Getting anxious about the holiday season because of your growing Christmas list? We know what it's like to shop for each person and wonder, "Magugustuhan kaya ito ni - ?" (Will - like this?) Well, fret not! We've rounded up a few locally-crafted items your special someones would be happy to receive.
What's great is that all of these are Filipino-owned businesses with wonderful stories and advocacies behind them. Check out the list below and read until the end to know where you can purchase these and other similar products!
1. Artisan Chocolate in an Artsy Packaging
Theo and Philo is the Philippines' first single origin bean to bar chocolate maker.
5 Bar Gift Box (Php 720)
Photo from the Theo & Philo website
A homegrown chocolate brand that is made from high quality ingredients such as raw cacao beans. It is sourced from the Malabog farmers in Davao, recognized as the Chocolate Capital of the Philippines. They work with GK farming community where they directly buy ingredients and they also offer them funding support to help them further grow their infrastructure for post harvesting cacao.
Aside from its thoughtfully designed packaging, the flavor combinations are also uniquely Filipino ranging from chocolate with Green Mango & Salt, Calamansi, Turon, Labuyo, Adobo and more. In addition to this, their dark chocolates are vegan friendly and most of their chocolate bars are gluten free.
2. Calming Tea with No Artificial Flavoring
Tsaa Laya develops local herbs, fruits and spices from the Philippines islands into modern tea ingredients.
Pouch Bundle Gift Set (Php 590)
Photo from the Tsaa Laya website
It is a social enterprise that provides sustainable livelihood for mothers and women who are relocated typhoon survivors in Calauan, Laguna. They also have the Calauan Tea Village where herb farming and tea processing are integrated. Part of Tsaa Laya's vision is to expand more tea communities across the country!
For the tito and tita who are tea lovers, Tsaa Laya has premium blends of herbal teas in Lemon Ginger, Pandan, and Tanglad flavors and offers eco-friendly refill packs.
3. Marine-Friendly Personal Care Products
MAGWAI develops personal care products that are both effective and sustainable like their Reef-Safe Sunscreen. It is a locally produced reef-safe sunscreen which uses Zinc Oxide and Titanium dioxide, natural ingredients that are safe for the coral reefs contrary to other sunscreens that mostly contain chemicals that are harmful to corals.
MAGWAI Reef-Safe Sunscreen SPF 50+ (Php 599)
MAGWAI Travel Bundle (Php 2,046)
They also sell towels that are made from recycled bottles, as well as conditioner and shampoo bars that help coastal communities recycle their plastic waste. They are a member of 1% for the Planet, so 1% of their proceeds for every MAGWAI sunscreen and shampoo bar bought will be donated to protect the ocean.
4. Responsible Fashion through Filipino Weaves
Habi Footwear and Lifestyle uses a wide variety of Filipino weaves and works with different communities in the Philippines located in, Payatas and Batasan, Quezon City, Kiangan, Ifugao, Isabela, Lamitan, Basilan, Marawi, and Lanao del Sur.
Ina Beaded Handbag (Php 1,199)
This hand-beaded bag is made of wooden beads with a canvas inner lining made in partnership with the Batasan Women's League Consumer Cooperative.
Habi aims to create more sustainable livelihoods for urban weavers and underprivileged communities. Their current partner communities are Batasan Women's League Consumer Cooperative, Kiangan Weaver's Association, and Habi Eco Weavers and Sewers Association, one of Habi's pioneering communities and the home of its upcycled fabric weaving workshop.
5. Classic Crafts for the Modern Lifestyle
And of course, we won't forget our very own! Woven designs hand-in-hand with Filipino artisans that bring value to their work, their lives, and cultural traditions. Our laptop sleeves are crafted by our partner community in Basey, Samar are made from tikog leaves and inlaid with dyed buri strips.
Woven aims to uplift the lives of artisans in the Philippines. As part of our mission, we helped organize women in Basey into community craft associations, maneuvered an increase in the industry price of banigs, and raised individual incomes by more than double.
Aside from sleeves and banig, we also have bags, card holders, passport wallet, bag tags and ID tags, which make for perfect gifts for your officemates and colleagues! Made from genuine leather with handwoven fabric sourced from different communities in the Philippines like Benguet, Kalinga, and Marawi, they come in a variety of colors to fit every mood and personality.
Your One-Stop Local Shop
If you're wondering where to get all these items, you can check out each brand's website and social media page OR you can get all of them in one go from any of the Sinag Sari-Sari Social Enterprise Store branches in Trinoma, Glorietta, and Ayala Museum.
The Sinag Sari-Sari Social Enterprise Store aims to further develop social enterprises and provide livelihood for the local community. It's a joint project organized by Alagang AyalaLand, Bayan Academy, and BPI Foundation in response to the pandemic.
And remember, the items in this list are just some of the products that you'll find at Sinag Sari-Sari. There are plenty other community-based enterprises that offer beautiful local products. Another cool thing is that the display shelves have their own unique story. Designed and produced by JunkNot Eco Creatives, they are made from Tetrapak cartons and reclaimed wood. You can also take a picture with Kara the Carabao!
If you're interested to know more about the social enterprises there, check Sinag Sari-Sari's Facebook or Instagram page.
Happy shopping!
