Go lite

BUSINESS BITS
Icy Luzano

Everything from juices to processed food seems to be going“lite” these days. Name it, and there’s bound to be a “lite” variant for it. And not to be outdone, the lambanog, the indigenous Filipino coconut wine has also been riding on this trend.

In 2008, Dory’s Lambanog, a noted maker of the local liquor, introduced “Lambalite.” Unlike regular lambanog that has analcohol content of 40 to 45 percent, lambalite only has 22 percent. The company came up with this variant for two reasons: the number of health-conscious Filipinos had been growing, and the number of women drinkers had been growing significantly as well,

Babes Enriquez, president of Dory’s Lambanog, says the variant is perfect for women who naturally have a lower tolerance for alcohol. Lambalite, which she says is both light and relaxing, has four flavor variants: melon, strawberry, blackberry, and bubblegum. It is ready to drink or used for mixing cocktails.

Sold both locally and abroad, Lambalite comes in very sleek and stylish bottles, making it ideal as corporate giveaways or contributed drinks to potluck parties. Dory’s Lambanog was started in 1969 by Enriquez’s mother, Dory de Ocampo, with only a staff of three and P700 in initial capital.

As a pioneer in coconut wine distilling, the company has since turned local lambanog into a world-class product. It produces regular lambanog under the Vicente Uno label—it is named after Enriquez’s father—as well as the all-natural Organic “lamba” and the “lambajack,” a mix of 90-proof distilled coconut sap and sweet jackfruit.

The distillation process for lambanog takes nearly a week. After harvest, the coconut flower’s nectar is cooked in a copper-pot boiler for six to eight hours to extract its juice, locally known as tuba. The juice is then fermented for three days, flavored, then packed.

Enriquez and her siblings supervise the distillation process with the help of their mother, who remains hands-on with the family business.Aside from commercially producing lambanog, the company also had to create a better public image for it. Enriquez explains: “Ang mentality kasi sa lambanog is that it’s a poor man’s drink. Puro negative lahat. ’Yun ang binago namin [We changed that with our product].”

The company sells and takes orders for the product at its showroom in Candelaria, Quezon. It also sells the product on consignment to five major specialty stores in the country. Recently, however, Dory’s Lambanog shifted its focus to the export market . The product now reaches overseas markets like Guam and Japan, and the company has since been regularly taking part as well in exhibits and trade fairs abroad. Indeed, Dory’s Lambanog has come a long way from its small beginnings 40 years ago.