Soft-served sweets in exotic packages
The names Ferdinand and Imelda are infamously historical as they remind the Filipinos of the memories of dictatorship, but a duo with the same names are set to make history as they change the face of Philippines’ food industry with something unusual but definitely mouth-watering.
Ferdinand Nipaz and Imelda Soriano – entrepreneurs with no personal affiliation–met in a marketing strategy training seminar of the Department of Trade and Industry and discovered their common love for food experimentation, which eventually led to the idea of producing a bizarre-flavored ice cream business.
"We came up with [an] idea of 'What does Pangasinan have that we can highlight?'... We thought of creating a product that is unique and at the same time, could be a representation of Pangasinan," Nipaz said in an interview with The Spiral Journal.
Both Nipaz and Soriano handle separate and different businesses even before they have known each other. Soriano manages her own food business named Meteor Queen–inspired by the hit Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden, which sells homemade products such as Pangasinan Sukang Pinakurat, seaweed chutney and seaweed pickle, while Nipaz owns Nature’s Winery that sells fruit wines.
Different paths
Soriano is a 44-year old businesswoman and a community-based teacher on food processing and cookery in Aguilar, Pangasinan.
Her interest in food and cooking developed in her 17-year stay in Singapore as an overseas Filipino worker and upon returning to the Philippines, she started to sell homemade products to her classmates at a vocational school as a source of income.
Ferdinand Nipaz, a 38-year-old civil engineering graduate, resides in Agno, Pangasinan, where his wine business is based.
His original plan was to invest in making guava wine, but unfortunately, he did not succeed so he shifted to watermelon and now takes great pride in being the first in Region I to accomplish the best-tasting recipe of watermelon wine that even got him featured on television shows such as MagTV Na and iJuander.
At present, his business offers 15 flavors, namely: rice coffee, banana, guyabano, star fruit, star apple, suha, guava, watermelon, mango, duhat at bignay, kasoy, rice wine, santan, and mulberry and he is also planning to experiment with eight more flavors such as chocolate, beetroot, passion fruit, squash, oregano, sunflower, rose, and coffee.
Mix and match
Some of Soriano and Nipaz's products are: Pambansang Ice Cream (inihaw na bangus flavor), Spicy Love Chili Ice Cream (chili pepper flavor), Miracle Ice Cream (malunggay flavor), and Bitter Love Ice Cream (ampalaya flavor).
The Pambansang Ice Cream is made from the Philippines’ national fish, bangus (milkfish). Its interesting flavor possesses the lush savory taste of the fish with a mixture of tanginess that actually deserves more than a second bite.
The Spicy Love Chili Ice Cream has a touch of spice that doesn’t sting at all. Luscious milk is the first distinguishable taste, but the chili pepper becomes dominant the longer the ice creams stays in the mouth. It had an eye-catching color amongst the others as it appeared light orange with a pinch of grainy green and yellowish white. It has a smooth and creamy texture that instantly melts upon intake.
The Miracle Ice Cream got its name from its main ingredient, malunggay. The vegetable is known for its health benefits which help normalize blood sugar level and combat malnutrition. The ice cream itself has a rich creamy taste accompanied by a mild tang of the plant.
Ampalaya is one of the most unwanted vegetable by children, but giving them a mouthful of the Bitter Love Ice Cream would surely help change their mind. Having a bite is similar to a thrilling rollercoaster ride of sweet and bitter flavors. The harsh taste of the vegetable is not overpowering, which makes the experience more enjoyable.
Recently, the duo has also invented “Four Seasons”– a drink which is meant to serve as a refreshing, representative beverage of Pangasinan consisting of four ingredients namely: rattan fruit, lemon, lemon grass, and calamansi.
Currently, the ice creams, the Four Seasons drink and the local products of Soriano are available in Meteor Queen.