Philippine Chili Peppers (Tagalog-Siling Labuyo, Bicol-Sambalas)

We are very excited to introduce to the market our Dried Philippine Chili Peppers that are naturally grown following the crop rotation planting.
We will also features various recipes using this Philippine Bird's Eye Chili Pepper.
Please stay tuned--

International Food Exhibition-Manila, Philippines - May 12-14, 2011

We are very excited to be part of the VIBuyer Program attending this International Food Exhibition.
IFEX Philippines provides gainful business opportunities for importers, exporters, retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers eyeing both the local and international markets. Evolving and expanding, this event features shows within a show that highlight fresh ideas, valuable industry information, and exciting competitions and activities.

Fair Title:	8th INTERNATIONAL FOOD EXHIBITION (IFEX) PHILIPPINES 2011
Fair Date:	12-14 May 2011 ( Thursday– Saturday)
Venue:	Halls 1-4 SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Organizer:	CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE EXPOSITIONS AND MISSIONS (CITEM) Attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI, Philippines)
Co-Organizer:	Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Service - Department of Agriculture (DA-AMAS)
Show hours:	10 A.M. to 7 P.M. , Thursday-Saturday
Fair Admission:	Exporters & Mindanao Halls : 1st & 2nd Day – Trade visitors only 3rd Day – Open to the Public International Hall : 1st to 3rd Day - Open to Trade Visitors and Public Retailers Hall : 1st to 3rd Day - Open to Trade Visitors and Public

 Products and Services Coverage of IFEX Philippines

• Tropical Beverages, Wines & Spirits
• Coffee, Tea & Cocoa
• Natural, Herbal and Organic Products
• Sugar & Sweeteners
• Natural, Organic & Herbal Products
• Fine Food & Specialties
• Meat & Poultry
• Fresh & Processed Tropical Fruits & Vegetables
• Fresh , Frozen, & Value-Added Marine Products
• Flours, Starch, & Cereal
• Culinary Schools

• Seasonings, Oils, Flavors, Additives, Colors & Gelatins
• Testing Laboratories
• Food Machineries & Equipment, Kitchen Equipment & Machinery
• Postharvest Technology & Equipment
• Packaging Materials (Glass, Papers, Metal, Plastic)
• Allied Products and Services
• Shipping & Forwading
• Storage
• Food Franchising

Information on Philippine Bird'sEye Pepper (Tagalog-Siling Labuyo)

Bird's eye chili (Thai: พริกขี้หนู, RTGS: phrik khi nu, IPA: [pʰrík kʰîː nǔː], literal: mouse dropping chili; Tagalog: siling labuyo) is a chili pepper of the species Capsicum frutescens L. in the family Solanaceae, commonly found in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.

It can also be found in India, mainly Kerala, where it is used in traditional dishes of the Kerala cuisine (pronounced in Malayalam as kanthari mulagu). This species (known as kochchi in sinhalese) is also found in rural areas of Sri Lanka, where it is used as a substitute for green chillies. It is also a main ingredient in kochchi sambal, a salad made using freshly scraped coconut ground with thai chillies and seasoned with salt and lime juice.

The term Bird's eye chili is also used for the North American Chiltepin pepper, both due to their small round shape and because they're widely spread by birds.
The bird's eye chili plant is a perennial with small, tapering fruits, often 2-3, at a node. The fruits of most varieties are red, some are yellow, purple or black. The fruits are very pungent. The flowers are greenish white or yellowish white.

Taxonomically, it has long been thought that the bird's eye chili belongs to Capsicum frutescens L.,but there are now some who list the bird's eye chili as belonging to Capsicum chinense.

The bird's eye chili is small but packs quite a lot of heat. At one time it was even listed as the hottest chili in the Guinness Book of World Records but other hotter varieties of chili have since been identified. It measures around 50,000-100,000 Scoville units which is at the lower end of the range for the hotter Habanero chili.

Bird's eye Peppers

• Plant height - up to 2meters
• Stem color - Green
• Leaf color - Green
• Leaf size - 3–8 cm by 2–4 cm
• Fruit color at maturity - green, orange and red
• Fruit shape - conical
• Fruit length - 2–3 cm
• Fruit width at shoulder - .5 cm
• Fruit weight - 2-3 grams
• Fruit surface - smooth
• Seed color - Light tan
• Seeds per chili - 10-20

The fruit of the bird's eye chili is popularly used as a spice and as a chili condiment in Filipino, Indonesian, Laotian, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisine. It is what gives local dishes, such as the Filipino bicol express, their fiery zing. 

The chilies can also be used to flavor vinegar. 

The leaves are also edible and can be eaten as a vegetable, for instance in the Filipino dish tinola.

Philippine Chili Peppers (Tagalog-Siling Labuyo, Bicol-Sambalas)

Philippine Bird's Eye Pepper

We are busy, busy working on a lot of research and certifications for the approval of the importation of this Philippine Bird's Eye Pepper from the Philippines.  In the meantime, we want to share with you some photos that we have research on this naturally grown Philippine Bird's Eye Pepper.  This will give you some ideas how they are grown and shipped and then to your everyday dishes.
We will be updating and posting more information and photos as we go along our progress in our approval by the US Department of Agriculture & US Food & Drug Administration.

 Photos of the farm courtesy of R. Tequillo

 

Philippine Chili Peppers (Tagalog-Siling Labuyo, Bicol-Sambalas)

One of our main products to import and sell here in the US, Canada & Qatar is this DRIED PHILIPPINE CHILI PEPPERS (Tagalog term-Siling Labuyo, Bicol term-Sambalas)
This type of pepper is so small but considered as one of the spiciest compared to the other mexican chilis available locally here in the US.
While we gather more information that we can share with you about this product of ours, we would like you to enjoy these photos of a typical Filipino breakfast that includes this pepper.

Ph

Photos courtesy of 80 Breakfasts

Our Top 4 Products

Happy New Year everyone!
Importing and Exporting food products to the US is quite tedious.  There are so many procedures and strict rules to follow to be able to have food product be available to our customers.  
Here's a list of our initial Top 4 products that we are working on to be available in the US and Qatar market:
#1 PILI NUT - Dried Plain or Dried Salted
#2 PHILIPPINE CHILI PEPPERS - Dried
#3 GABI LEAVES (TARO) - Dried
#4 PHILIPPINE MANGOES - Dried chips

Doha, Qatar- Dried Nuts & Grains, Dried Fruits, Spices and Herbs

Although we have Mr. Manuel Ala to head our sales team there, I have to learn the culture, food, business practices to be able to do business in Qatar.
In my research about Dried Nuts & Grains, Dried Fruits, Spices and Herbs available in Qatar, I ran across this photos by AdeyH of Doha, Qatar.

It is very interesting to know that these products are the main ingredient to satisfy the palate of  not only the Qataris but also those migrants who are currently residing and working there.
The vast population of Asians and Middle Eastern people makes Qatar also a melting pot for various activities and food.

Welcome to our Blog for "The Nature's Market"

Welcome to our Blog!

You would probably wonder why our company is named "The Nature's Market"

To give you a brief introduction, our company had been in the crafts business in the US, Canada & UK and the Philippines (as our artisan's production facility) in the late 90's.
The business was focused on crafts until 2010 that we have made final decisions to include various natural food & flavors from around the world. 
Being Asian by heritage, I grew up with our family and friends enjoying a simple lunch or dinner consisting of fish, meat, soups, desserts and not to forget those tropical fruits.

Then late 2010, fate brought  me to an old college friend.
Its been almost 30 years that had passed that we have not seen each other nor had any communications.
We had lived different lives, have our own families and lived worlds apart.
As old friends, we talked about how life was so simple back then, what transpired in between the years, career, family life and so on.
Both of us came from humble beginnings and have the passion of helping and encouraging others to fulfill their dreams into a reality.

Then, we discussed business and how to survive in this struggling economy.
Being in business for so many years, I didn't realized the potential of doing business outside my comfort zone.  Fast forward--We worked together for our common common goal--"Working towards becoming more compassionate to those fortunate than us"  thus "The Nature's Market" -- Being financially solid means capable of sharing more--

Then for me, it is the love for getting together with family & good friends over a simple dish.  I love to cook, to blog about my passion for cooking, my new recipes, travel, my hopes & dreams and much more.

Our company will be importing and exporting to the US, Canada, UK & Qatar various flavors, spices and food from the Philippines and hopefully to expand to include products from other Asian & tropical countries. 
We will be featuring various food items, recipes, our food experiences, travel and photos of places that we love and visit in relation to this business.

Later on, we will be posting more about ourselves, our work experiences, our passion and hobbies and more.
So, please stay tuned!