Local producers now have an additional, upscale outlet for their unique Catandunganon products with last week’s formal opening of the One Town, One Product (OTOP) Nook at the ARDCI Hotel.
Representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Catanduanes provincial office joined ARDCI Hotel, Inc. management during the blessing and inauguration of the nook at the ground floor of the hotel’s Building 3 right at the parking lot.
Rev. Fr. Nestor Perpetuo Pastor presided over the blessing of the producer’s corner, which features native bags, headbands and containers made from abaca, coco shell decors and accessories, and native food products such as pili, taro and molido of different flavors.
In her message on behalf of DTI Provincial Director Maria Belma Escueta who was on official travel, OTOP focal person Daisy Tabirara said the ARDCI Nook is the second established in the province after the Amedia Beach Resort Pasalubong Center which opened before the pandemic years.
Unlike before, local producers are now volunteering to join, Tabirara disclosed as she thanked ARDCI management for finally agreeing to a partnership with DTI.
She said that the microfinance NGO was invited to enter into an agreement with DTI on a Shared Servie Facility (SSF) as well as in an abaca development project but the proposed cooperation fell through.
ARDCI Nook will provide local producers a reliable market for their products as well as give the buying public as well as hotel guests easy access to a source of OTOP products.
For her part, ARDCI Hotel Manager Donna Mae M. Francia said the launching of the nook is a testament to ARDCI’s commitment to promoting local entrepreneurship and showcasing the vibrant spirit of Catanduanes.
“The ARDCI Hotel OTOP Nook serves as a dedicated venue for the display and sale of locally made products crafted by talented entrepreneurs from the island (and) a convenient shopping destination for our hotel guests seeking pasalubong and souvenirs,” she stressed.
Francia noted that the Nook not only showcases the richness of the island’s cultural heritage but also fosters economic growth and sustainability within the province.
The hotel management signed separate agreements with individual producers, who are guaranteed 50% advance payment for their products upon delivery, with the goods sold to the public at the “producer’s price” or without markup from the outlet.