Ruth Gavan
This National Women’s Month, we celebrate women who turn purpose into progress like Ruth T. Gavan, the entrepreneur behind A&R Farm Products in Babatngon, Leyte.
What began as a daughter’s desire to improve her mother’s health led Ms. Gavan to discover the nutritional benefits of tablea. Inspired by its potential, she established A&R Farm Products in 2018, producing high-quality cacao tablea while creating opportunities for local farmers.
Like many growing enterprises, the business faced challenges—from limited market access and lack of certifications to an inconsistent supply of quality cacao beans.
Through the DTI RAPID Growth Project, A&R Farm Products received support to strengthen its operations and expand its market reach. This included participation in trade fairs, technical consultancy on productivity and quality standards, and the facilitation of a Commercial Partnership Agreement (CPA) with farmer organizations to secure a steady supply of cacao beans.
Today, A&R Farm Products has significantly increased their productivity to consistently supply their signature tablea to their partners every month. The enterprise has also gained wider market acceptance, recording increased sales during participation in trade promotion activities and securing partnerships with pasalubong centers such as Product 8 Pasalubong Center, Merry’s Moron, and Aida’s Pasalubong.
What started as a personal mission has grown into an enterprise that supports workers, farmer-partners, and local markets.
This National Women’s Month, we celebrate entrepreneurs like Ruth T. Gavan, women who nurture businesses, strengthen communities, and inspire others through their determination and vision.