Want Some Tilapia Chips?

Bohol (PIA-7) — From practically an unknown community of fishermen aided by the Estonian Government Development Fund and international volunteers comes a fish product that may share the goody bag of every tourist leaving Bohol–Tilapia chips!

Now for a provincial launch and tasting, the Talisay Fishermen’s Association (TAFIAS) brings out the Tilapia chips products in neat and world-class packaging.

The launching and tasting of the Tilapia chips will be on March 18 at 2:00 PM at the Bohol Cultural Center and like you guessed it is a product from freshwater backyard fisheries.

TAFIAS chairperson Anna Mainit said, the tilapia chips are now becoming a popular ‘Bohol taste’.

Maiinit shared that the product started when the fish farmers realized they were growing what people no longer eat.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has been trying to help these fish/farmers find additional income than fishing out every day. They found the under-utilized taro marshes.

With a starting fund of P100,000 and government support in tilapia fingerlings and feeds, the community engaged in volunteer work after the Mainits agreed to have their taro fields converted into a pond.

Mainit said, we thought of the tilapia when the idea in converting taro fields into a fishpond came up which we figured out, can be processed into tilapia chips with a little work.

The product was already in the market but with a crude marketing strategy. Somehow tilapia chips failed to go big, Maiinit added.

The redemption came in the form of AndaKIDZ, a non-profit, non sectarian organization which focuses help on the hungry kids of Anda Bohol.

ANDAKIDZ aims to recognize the rights of children and provide goods and services through the local community that will improve the lives of children in the poorest families and ultimately reduce child poverty in the area.

Recently, the organization handled by Estonian Birgit Naur and husband British Robin Gurney successfully engaged the voluntary services of a branding expert who also believed in coordinating efforts to improve the situation of Anda’s Children.

ANDAKIDz and TAFIAS with volunteers Janno Siimar and Robin Gurney worked recently to create a new identity for TAFIAS and develop and launch a range of high quality, hand-made food products, the tilapia chips foremost among them.

At the free event on March 18 at the Bohol Cultural Centre, aside from the formal launch of TAFIAS ‘World Famous Tilapia Chips’ people will have a chance to taste the delicious chips where initial stock are on sale at the event and business-matching can also happen for product re-sellers like stores, bars, resorts and other food outlets.

Branding expert Janno Siimar offers a free 1-2-1 “creative marketing” consultancy sessions to any food cooperatives and small businesses who are interested in learning more about branding, marketing and design.

The event door opens at 1.30 pm and a short program and the product history of TAFIAS ZERO TO HERO Case Study: How WORLD FAMOUS TILAPIA CHIPS were developed by Janno Siimar and Robin Gurney (ANDAKIDZ Volunteers).

Between 3:30 to 4:15, the creative marketing consultancy sessions with Siimar will happen.

Interested groups and food producers needing branding, design and marketing can come to the BCC and join the events according to ANDAKIDZ. (mbcn/rac/PIA7-Bohol/with reports from TAFIAS)