IN DAVAO City, a new name is slowly dominating health and wellness sector with its products that are all food-based and pure organic.
Owned by Ruben Gonzaga, Agrihub Health and Wellness Center has developed five products -- the Agri Liniment cream, Agri Massage Oil, Agri Relaxing Roll-on, Agri Herbal Soap and Agri Fungal-free ointment.
Ruben, the former host of a television program Agri Tayo Dito from 2012 to 2018, said he became interested in organic farming when he came to understand its benefits and advantages through all his exposures in the field.
When the show ended, he went home in Davao to be with his family and try something different from the entertainment industry. Formulating the products took a while but it was made public after its effectivity has been tested and proven by his own family. First to be formulated was the Agri Fungal-free ointment and others followed after.
In July last year, Ruben finally had a soft opening with a team of five, a social media page manager, marketing in-charge, head stockman, assistant stockman, Ruben as the overseer and endorser and his wife Jeselle who is in-charge of the company's financial matters. With only a handful of staff, Ruben believed in three P's, the passion to help people attain relief using all natural products; to earn profit to sustain the comapny and serve the purpose of glorifying God in all his works. Competition was tight since big companies are already dominating the area when it comes to health and wellness and the being known to the public was indeed a challenge.
"Marketing was hard but we made it through social media and bazaars. Also, we have partners that help us promote our products such as Card Bank known for its thousands of microinsurance clients in the city alone. Our clients are mostly from them," Ruben said.
"But what is important in putting up a business is finding the right major partner. As for me, I partnered with God. No matter what challenges may come in my life right now, especially in this business, I know He will help me," he added.
Since then, the company's best-seller is the Agri Liniment cream's. Its main ingredients are Yerba Buena, Lagundi, Malunggay, Mangosteen, Tsaang Gubat, Coco Cream, virgin coconut oil, orange peel and orange extract.
At present, the company is located at 2nd floor, version 88, space rental building, R. Plat St., Barangay Ubalde, Agdao. They now have nine stockist centers and seven distributor areas around the region. Individuals who may want extra income are encouraged to become resellers of the producta through their packages. Package 1 comprised the five products for only P350 while Package 2 comprised three sets of package 1 for P1,050.
Ruben said they have plans for expansion and will soon launch more products that may extend to any organic agricultural products.