Innovation

"When I nourish myself, I nourish others," that is CalaBoo's tagline. From the start of the company's journey in Gawad Kalinga (GK) Enchanted Farm, their goals have remained the same as they continue their venture in Magdalena, Laguna. CalaBoo's goals are to "empower Filipino communities, nurture local talents, and produce top-notch Carabao milk-based products." Through the different partnerships that they have and the passion for creating and offering new products made by empowered women, CalaBoo continues to thrive in the dairy industry.

What makes CalaBoo's products different from commercial dairies? First of all, CalaBoo's products are made from Carabao milk - a genuine Filipino pride. Their milk comes from grass-fed Carabaos; this ensures that consumers get the product's natural goodness without the chemicals in other milk brands. That's not all, CalaBoo also offers other products that will transport you to dairy heaven. If you love bread and butter for breakfast, then you should try their Boo-lala Boo-tter, a European-style butter made extra creamy and rich with no extenders or preservatives. Not in the mood for butter? How about some Kesong Puti de Laguna, the Philippines' version of Mozzarella cheese. CalaBoo also offers Kesong Asul, or Blue Cheese made with Blue Ternate. Their unique coco-sugar-sweetened and honey-sweetened Carabao milk yogurt are good picks if you are not in the mood for bread and spreads. After eating, finish off with a glass of Chocolate Carabao milk which has a sugar-free variant for those who do not want that extra sugar in the morning.

The company's business model is a social enterprise design. CalaBoo is a business whose primary purpose is to serve a specific social objective. Yes, profit is in the mind of social enterprises, but their primary goal is to maximize profits while maximizing social or environmental benefits. For CalaBoo, their social objective is to empower women and small-scale-production farmers in their community by "maximizing collaboration and putting a love for local first." Founder Marie Cavosora believes investing in local Filipino talent will help them "reap the full benefits of their work." Marie works with others to think of new strategies and products when the need arises. She believes that "collective intelligence is superior to the smartest person in the group" and that the people she works with will have perspectives she doesn't have. This practice helped the women in CalaBoo develop the confidence to know they could make the right decisions.

It is without a doubt that Marie did not only intend to work with the women and farmers, but she also intended to teach and learn from them. From starting an enterprise that aims to bless the women and farmers in Magdalena, Laguna, to having the women and farmers become the blessers of the community, Marie sees the meaningful impact that CalaBoo made.

Inspiration

CalaBoo's journey started with a question: "What are the things we can do differently." For Marie, with a pair of fresh eyes, a passion for doing new things, and a desire to do things differently, anyone can see the goodness and the opportunities within any limitations. With that, Marie wanted to do good sustainably. She also dreamed of creating new products to meet market demands and dreamed of grabbing opportunities that would arise from that. However, like many people, it is effortless to dream, but working towards that dream is challenging. At the start, Marie asked herself, "do I have enough faith?" and "is my faith enough to take this on?" She knew this would be a huge responsibility, so she couldn't just let go in the middle. She knew that many people would be affected if she stopped or if this failed. There were a lot of considerations and a lot of questions. Strength, money, huge responsibility, Marie thought of all that. But when Marie returned to her "clarity of why," her love for the poor, and her heart to make an impact, Marie was finally able to take on the responsibility and say, "Okay, I'm ready."

For people to "taste and see that love is good" is CalaBoo's dream. For the company's products, Marie wanted to offer dairy products that are very Filipino. Well, what could be more Filipino than Carabao milk? Marie sees Carabao milk as iconic, since it symbolizes the farmers. For the community, Marie wanted a partnership with farmers and women, one that is built with trust, unity, and love. In a way, CalaBoo stands by its tagline, "when I nourish myself, I nourish others." They do not only want their consumers to consume healthier products full of nutrition, but they also want to nourish the people who create the products. To bless the people who consume, to bless the community that makes, and to create a brand that cares about its people and the local community, was all CalaBoo's dream.

The love and the dream to make an impact drove Marie's passion for creating and pursuing CalaBoo. She wanted the company to be used to "transform and empower the women running it." She wanted the women from her community to see themselves as competent women who were not limited to the title of being household helpers. She also wanted to showcase the value of CalaBoo's products that symbolize smallholder farmers in the Philippines. Marie did have a dream. However, it is inevitable for obstacles to come along the way. During storms or difficulties, anyone can say, "we can't do it like this," but our response should always be, "so let's find another way." According to Marie, limitations are not setbacks; "it's just a redirection." Encountering obstacles does not mean failure. "There is always a way out, up and never down," Marie said. For CalaBoo, limitations were used to drive innovations. Limitations ignited the flame of love and compassion to empower and work. Limitations were used to create extraordinary actions to create an impact. So if one asks, "what is the inspiration behind CalaBoo?" it is to meet people's needs, provide help, and extend love. Indeed, there is power in limitations.

Overall impact

CalaBoo's impact is encapsulated by the famous saying, "…of the people, by the people, for the people." Calaboo manufactures healthy carabao dairy products nourishing their customers. Through these operations, the enterprise also gives good livelihood opportunities to the local community of women and farmers, helping boost the local economy. Calaboo also ensures they do environmentally-friendly business, minimizing production waste and promoting responsible resource consumption.

The below-cited United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) show the tangible impact attained by Calaboo:

Good Health and Well-Being

One of CalaBoo's social impacts is through the products they offer. Given that their products undergo a healthy cultivation process, it easily allows healthy food delivery to their customers. Marie reiterated that they try not to use milk powder or refined sugar and opt for honey or other natural options. Considering the current dairy market in the Philippines, what CalaBoo offers is high quality and could even be a game changer to multiple businesses and its customers. They also consider food as a natural medicine. Hence, they compared regular cow milk in terms of nutrition with carabao milk, identifying that it is high in vitamin C, which significantly boosts one's immune system. Not only that, but because the carabaos are grass-fed, they have a lot of extra nutrients, which is called bioavailable nutrition, meaning nutrients that ones body can absorb. They refer to the minerals, micronutrients, carbohydrates, and protein combinations as magic wands our bodies need. Then the nutrition consumed leads to growth, strength, protection, and healing of individuals, all of which are beneficial.

Decent Jobs and Economic Growth

As a social enterprise, CalaBoo gives excellent value to its local farmers and community partners. The opportunities for growth, learning, and more helps their employees and their families have income without experiencing any inequalities. As Marie mentioned, "I wanted to transform the people in the group to make sure that they are skilled or know enough to run it how they know how. I don't have to impose how it should be, but to make those stand up for themselves and defend it. The advocacies and values such as god's values, fellowship, and community building are only a few of the great things shared by the enterprise. Their main purpose aligns with their main advocacy of women-led community development, empowering and unifying women's overlooked abilities by giving them a chance to achieve their full potential. These women have the nickname "Dairy Godmothers" as Marie thinks it's "being used as a way to transform and empower the women running it; they used to be the kasambahays or household helpers, the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) women who receive dole outs. But now, it's their business, and it's so amazing to see them be able to make decisions for themselves based on what I taught them." Moreover, the value for livelihood is one of the reasons for economic growth as they continue to cater to the changing needs and tastes of their customers.

Responsible Consumption and Production

Being in the agriculture sector, CalaBoo acknowledges the role of nature and its role in their business by being responsible and conscious stewards. One of the things that they deeply consider is the conservation of resources, from their raw materials to the ingredients they use to produce their products. Now for consumption, CalaBoo is by order, not by bulk production. So they ensure to provide and deliver only what is needed, resulting in hardly any waste. Marie then explained that they make sure to estimate to the T, and then if there are additional products, they use it to make other products and research and development. In some situations, they give it to the community to feed them, following their "nothing is ever wasted" practice.

What else is another aspect to look into? Production, they follow the healthy cultivation process while still researching ways to improve and lessen their waste. Marie shared about their primary cooperatives and suppliers for bottles, "you know, some of our customers have become partners, and they tell us, well, I found out that it's a bad quality. So, we're sorry, or we fix it, so it's just really good communication and taking all the barriers down." There are times when they consider the riders and customers that want to avoid paying as they trust they use the company's money even if it's a loss.

Life on Land

CalaBoo also caters to Life on Land as they are environmentally conscious in their overall actions. Through fair access and accountable utilization of resources, materials, and products. Their practice of reducing their carbon footprint to little to no waste is a significant factor as they call it "our day-to-day" and they do it intentionally. These sustainable actions also include a reduction in processing and no excess inventory helps. Besides this, through their employees, the Magdalena Community, and customers, they show their environmental consciousness. Marie shared a story of how one of their delivery drivers befriended people there along the way when he was tired, and while he was delivering milk, there was an extra bottle, and he gave it to the kids. This, later on, came back to them as the car broke down, and the community helped them. "Like, people helping each other and, you know, using that milk to maybe open up a conversation and to bless them. So, it just keeps on going around, right". Their customers are also for recycling and other environmental practices, which allows them to strengthen their impact and advocacies to a broader audience.

Business benefit

CalaBoo grows a good business by doing good business. The company does not only create value for the business but also for the workers, communities, and consumers. Carabaos being the national animal of the Philippines, Marie came up with a twist on how these can be utilized other than the usual way of consuming them. The enterprise wanted to produce dairy products with whatever resources available to them, which people do not usually find in the market, but different in a good way. "Let's create new things… What are other things we can do differently? How to do things differently?..." she said. Unlike cow milk, CalaBoo's grass-fed carabaos provide extra and bioavailable nutrients that the body can easily absorb. Marie further emphasized that dairy is suitable for everyone–carabaos are excellent sources of A2 milk, containing A2 Beta-casein protein, which is a food allergy friendly. Besides being naturally high-value, their milk-based products are founded on problems encountered daily. CalaBoo seeks to solve these needs efficiently–by making more with less.

What else could be better than a business that benefits all? As CalaBoo nourishes others, others nourish its people, too. Smallholder farmers own the carabaos, where the team gets their milk. While women are often underestimated in the workplace, CalaBoo has built up a women-led community – they call them the "Dairy Godmothers." With the company's help, Marie provides training to these women from Magdalena, Laguna, on operating a business, from basic accounting, managing raw materials, and distribution of supplies, to more complex practices, such as making business decisions on their own. Hence, CalaBoo serves as an instrument in transforming and empowering these women to become more than what they see themselves are. Here, they are not just kasambahays but women who take the lead. "I love the fact that they can speak out. I love that, right…that they've found their voice, and I think that's great," Marie exclaimed.

The COVID-19 pandemic proves how CalaBoo adds value to the lives of its people. Although realistically speaking, the enterprise did not tremendously increase the farmers' and women's wealth. It indeed served as their income protection. "We continue to operate even during the pandemic. Right, so everybody got paid, and it's more like the protection of that instead of them using everything," Marie shared. That alone already means a lot, especially at a time of crisis. In CalaBoo, they are not just creating products simply for the business, but something they can call their own. These women pour their hearts into CalaBoo because it's theirs.

Marie's love for locals is implanted in CalaBoo's products and her support for Filipino talent. Carabaos, their crucial source, strongly signifies the Philippines; it symbolizes Filipino hard work. The goal is also to preserve the local heritage in their dairies and to deliver outstanding quality that can compete internationally. Just like in their dark chocolate milk, "we used our chocolates to make it local but also, you could be sure that the quality is consistent and world-class. You know, 'cause ours is like an award-winning tablea (roasted, ground, and molded nibs of fermented pure cacao beans), right?" Marie said.

Social and environmental benefit

Community building and community development are at the heart and soul of CalaBoo's purpose, specifically women empowerment. Marie reaffirmed this—"Well, if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have CalaBoo. Its very existence is predicated on that, right? So, yeah. Essential." The women of the organization are provided livelihood opportunities and equipped with practical skills and knowledge they can utilize for career development. As a social enterprise, the business does not solely focus on its internal stakeholders but also extends a helping hand to external contractors like their suppliers, vendors, and delivery riders. Marie guarantees that all CalaBoo's personnel are treated justly and compensated fairly. Marie added, "Do you spend more on your people, or what makes you more profitable? Diba, it's a social enterprise because you focus more on the people. Not just the people you pay, but your partners anywhere from the Lalamove guy or the Joyride delivery guy to your vendors to your suppliers."

CalaBoo's environmental consciousness is ingrained in their constant little practices, from their product manufacture to product delivery and subsequent product disposal. Aside from what has been expounded in the earlier sections, the organization is intentionally recycling, reusing, and minimizing all possible items used. They are also keen on improving and migrating their business processes to more sustainable means pragmatically. "... I think if anything is more than consciousness and doing the right thing every step of the way. That's doable within our limitations because we have definitely explored those and practically how to implement it; it's just too much at this point for us," Marie stated.

Soon, CalaBoo aims to further its community development and business sustainability by establishing the Daiyard, an agri-tourism ecosystem featuring all things carabao operated by empowered women.

Interview

Marie Cavosora, Founder and CEO