Five young Filipino agribusiness startups showcase products at Singapore agrifood summit
Five young Filipino agribusiness startups supported by the Department of Agriculture's Young Farmers Challenge showcased their products and business models at the Asia-Pacific Agrifood Innovation Summit 2026 in Singapore, seeking investors, partners and regional markets.
Five young Filipino agribusiness startups showcased their products and business models at the Asia-Pacific Agrifood Innovation Summit 2026 in Singapore, seeking investors, industry partners and opportunities to expand into regional markets, the Daily Tribune reported. The summit was held at the Suntec Convention Centre from 27 to 29 October.
The Manila Times said the summit formed part of Singapore International Agri-Food Week. The Philippine delegation was supported by the Department of Agriculture's (DA) Young Farmers Challenge (YFC), which the paper described as a program that helps Filipinos establish and expand agriculture and fisheries businesses. The DA's Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service led the delegation with the Philippine Agriculture Office in Bangkok.
The five startups
| Startup | What it makes (per the DA reports) | Founder or owner (per the summit programme) |
|---|---|---|
| L'Reinvente | Skincare products from agricultural by-products | Kristine Angela Yap, founder and owner |
| CHER Cacao Products Manufacturing | Bean-to-bar chocolate using locally sourced cacao | Cherrie May Ferrer, owner and CEO |
| Bluecrust Food Manufacturing | Value-added products from crustaceans | Rogeliano Cenita, founder and CEO |
| Aelius (JC Aelius on the summit programme) | Wellness products using different parts of the coconut | Sol Maraiah Into, founder |
| Y'Nut Food Products | Food products from locally grown peanuts | Venjie V. Mencias, founder and CEO |
The Daily Tribune described CHER Cacao as a youth-led chocolate maker based in Negros Oriental, and said L'Reinvente creates livelihood opportunities for farmers and marginalized communities.
On the Innovation Stage
The DA held the "Innovating Agriculture: Young Farmers Challenge Pitching Showcase," where the enterprises presented their business models and products at the summit's Innovation Stage. The summit programme lists the session on 27 October, from 11:50 to 12:20, with Agriculture Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra as host.
Aside from showcasing their brands, the startups met entrepreneurs, industry representatives and potential partners from across the Asia-Pacific region, and attended sessions on food systems, biomanufacturing, regenerative agriculture and food traceability, the Daily Tribune reported.
What the DA said
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., a featured speaker at the summit according to the Daily Tribune, discussed the Philippines' efforts to modernize agricultural value chains through resilience, investment, data-driven governance and collaboration between the public and private sectors. The Daily Tribune quoted him as saying:
"We also brought young Filipino agripreneurs to the Singapore event to introduce them to a wider market, and expose them to innovations and fresh ideas they can bring home, adapt and develop into viable businesses that create jobs and attract more investment in agriculture."
Assistant Secretary Velicaria-Guevarra said young entrepreneurs were finding ways to turn local resources into higher-value products, develop sustainable solutions and connect Philippine agriculture to regional and global markets, the Manila Times reported.
Read the web like we doTurn any page into clean, ready-to-use data with FirecrawlKey facts
- Five Filipino agribusiness startups supported by the DA's Young Farmers Challenge took part in the Asia-Pacific Agrifood Innovation Summit 2026 in Singapore.
- The summit was held at the Suntec Convention Centre from 27 to 29 October.
- The startups were L'Reinvente, CHER Cacao Products Manufacturing, Bluecrust Food Manufacturing, Aelius and Y'Nut Food Products.
- The DA's Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service led the delegation with the Philippine Agriculture Office in Bangkok.
- The DA held a Young Farmers Challenge pitching showcase at the summit's Innovation Stage.
Official sources
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