Project Summary
The livelihood project to have locals produce vinegar began in July 2008. Engineer Atonio Gonzales of Full Gospel Church in Gumaca, Libungan oversaw the project with an initial grant from DCI for P 5,000($125)
The concept of the project was fairly straight forward. The locals were to ferment Vinegar from Coconut Water, a wasted by product of copra production. Using the grant money, they were able to purchase Starter chemicals, bottles, a fermenting container, a funnel and other few supplies. These chemicals were necessary because the fermented vinegar requires sterilization and filtering before being bottled.
The locals of that area faced some hardships and challenges. During the production of their product, residents were forced to evacuate their village because it was overrun by Muslim separatists. They could not return until two months later. By that time the residents had believed their hard work may have been plundered, but by the grace of God, the vinegar was left untouched. Not only was the vinegar untouched, but during the time they were gone, the vinegar fermented to the point to where it could be bottled and sold. Their finished products were distributed to various relocation centers.
The end result of the project was milky, white vinegar, just the way their customers liked it. Their customers even claim that it tastes like the popular commercial brand ‘Silver Swan.’ The vinegar was bottled and sold to stores in the Muslim village and continues to be in production to date.