Jemil V. Araos: Entrepreneur, sculptor in one
It’s hard to be objective about Jemilfuego “Jemil” V. Araos.
After all, you’ve seen him grow before your eyes, from a child who had a hole in his heart that healed fully with the expansive love of his parents to the confident man in his 50s that he is today.
He is in his element at his 1.2-hectare Lime Tree Farm Solutions in Barangay Balay Hangin (home of the wind) in Calauan, Laguna at the foot of Mt. Lagula overlooking the grass-covered Dagatan Lake.
Before he and his wife Patch started the cosmetic and wellness line of products called Beetanicals, he planted the land to varieties of lime from all over the world.
His initial business concentrated on lime juice, marmalade, liqueur. He is partial to the key lime from Florida, which actually grew in Vietnam and was brought by the Americans to the US state where it became essential for making key lime pie.
He said the key lime was the national lime of Vietnam, the one pressed into the pho soup and essential to chan moi, the national lime tea.
Insulin plants
Apart from lime, the farm is also planted to insulin plants borne out of his deep concern for his late father, the sculptor Jerusalino who died of complications from diabetes.
The younger Araos has developed insulin plant juice, tea, coffee and capsules, becoming one of the pioneers in developing insulin plant products in the country.
He said, “We started in 2018. I was doing landscaping jobs, then we looked for our own path when Patch and I got married. In the beginning, we were giving away the limes and coconuts, so eventually, we thought of developing our products.”
He continued, “From there the products grew—we developed turmeric and lagundi capsules. Our edge is product innovation and pioneering in business because this is a situation where you have a lot of copycats.”
An example of his edge is the use of bee propolis as an ingredient for lip balms, among his and Patch’s host of products.
He explained, “That’s honey from a stingless bee. It bites, but it doesn’t sting. It’s the most medicinal honey in the world, better than Manuka honey,” a type of mono floral honey from the nectar of the Manuka tree found in Australia and New Zealand, according to Google.
The bee propolis was used for the mummification of pharaohs since it has antibacteria properties, he said, adding that the propolis is one of the most clinically studied in the world.
He has, in the past five years, partnered with farms for the propagation and harvest of propolis in Laguna and Quezon. As a small to medium enterprise, he buys propolis from them.
Propolis is also helpful in immune boosting, treating asthma, fighting virus and microbes, healing wounds, reducing inflammation and growing hair.
Araos attested that his 80-year-old mother Melendre experienced a second growth of hair with the use of the propolis hair oil.
Beetanicals is halal-certified, with national and international certificates attesting to its quality.
The products are produced for him by the internationally certified Leonie Agricultural Corp. under Pascual Laboratories Inc., the biggest herbal manufacturer in the country.
Art of sculpture
Araos described himself as “a small-time SME, a small businessman, with a small manufacturing plant” who supports what his father used to term his “lovelihood,” i.e., art or sculpture.
The sculptor in midlife does functional art, saying, “Whether I sell them or not, I am happy. That way, I don’t prostitute my art as my father used to say.”
Nicfur, the oldest and biggest furniture shop in the Philippines owned by the Nicolas family, selected Araos to buy the wood in their factory and the equipment based on a video of him explaining what he would do with them.
The Nicolas family approved him as the buyer, as the one who would continue their tradition of making good furniture.
Five truckloads of wood and two truckloads of machines were delivered to the Araos woodworking shop at the Lime Tree Farm.
His journey as an SME has been supported by Patch who used to do online writing and editing and now focuses on the marketing of Beetanicals in Shopee and Lazada stores.
He credited her for bankrolling the business with support from the Department of Trade and Industry.
He is also grateful to the Department of Agriculture, the Laguna provincial government and the Philippine Coconut Authority’s Coconut Farmers Industry Development, all of which made possible his participation in international trade fairs.
He said, “You need madness to continue the business because of a difficult bureaucracy. Processing of papers is slow. There’s that crab mentality culture of if you’re not with us, you’re against us. It’s a good thing I was raised well by my parents to become a proactive person so I am able to keep the business steady. Patch and I enjoy innovating. We’re always ahead.”
Araos ended, “My life is full staying at the farm and at the same time joining local and international fairs. I do business to earn money and to be stable to support my ‘lovelihood.’ That’s my goal.”
