Newly harvested rice June 18, Banaue Ifugao

Welcome to our What's New page. We will bring you regular updates and news from our U.S. head office and from on site in the Philippines. If you would like to be on our mailing list, please contact us. Thank you.

Mary Hensley, President

The Cordillera Heirloom Rice Project was featured in the Sunday October 8, 2006 Lifestyle section of the Philippine Star, one of the largest and most respected newspapers in the Philippines. The print version of the article includes 11 project photographs. The introduction written by Preciosa Soliven, Secretary-General, UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines. The online version can be viewed at:
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=279101

September, 2006 - Some 200 people attended a tasting featuring our heirloom rice. Eighth Wonder Heirloom Rice was showcased for the tasting at the Asia Society’s Asian Food Series "Cradle of Flavor: A Journey Along Southeast Asia’s Spice Trail" on September 5 at the Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY.

Amy Besa, co-owner of Cendrillon Restaurant (45 Mercer Street) and author of Memories of Philippines Kitchens was a program panelist. Cendrillon Restaurant provided three types of heirloom rice, Tinawon White, Ulikan Red and a bronze glutinous rice, for tasting during the reception after the program.

For more information on this or other Asia Society events, please visit their website at asiasociety.org.

December 2005- 500 bundles of quality breeding seed were distributed to farmers in Ifugao in the effort to expand production of the Tinawon rice.

November 2005, Organizational meeting of farmers- As we plant, we will weed out from the ground our broken dreams. We will tend our fields with more enthusiasm and eagerness. We can reawaken our dreams that have been buried. With the new hope of harvest, our dreams can be realized…for our children to go back to school, for small comforts that money can buy and for the security of having money during our old age or dwindling health. (Elderly woman farmer, Kiangan, Ifugao)

November 03, 2005- The first commercial shipment of Tinawon and Unoy rice arrived in the United States. The rice will be packaged for retail sale and ready for distribution and sale in early 2006.

October 19 and 21, 2005- Nearly 400 farmers attended the official project launchings which were held in Ifugao and Kalinga. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for assisting the farmers' associations to expand their production of traditional rice was signed by RICE, Eighth Wonder, farmer representatives and the various Municipal Agriculture Offices.

October 14, 2005- The Cordillera Heirloom Rice Project will be officially launched in Banaue, Ifugao on October 19, 2005 and in Tabuk, Kalinga on October 21, 2005. The farmers will be celebrating their first significant export shipment of Tinawon and Unoy rice to United States. The rice left Manila on October 09, 2005 and is expected to arrive into the Port of Tacoma, Washington USA on October 29, 2005.

At the project launching in Ifugao, 500 bundles of Imbuucan seed will be distributed among farmers who will be planting and expanding production for the business venture. Eighth Wonder and RICE, Inc. established the revolving seed bank in an effort to increase the production of selected heirloom rice varieties for export.

The Municipal Agriculture Office of Banaue will be distributing an additional 200 bundles of native rice seeds in their effort to support the continued production of many types of heirloom varieties.

October 3, 2005- More than 750 people attended the 2005 Fair Trade Futures Conference Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in Chicago, USA. The event, at the start of National Fair Trade month, featured 50 workshops, testimonials from producers, and opportunities to network with people and organizations committed to achieving social justice and change through the market.

Mary Hensley had the privilege of meeting keynote speaker Kwabene Ohemeng-Tinyase, the managing director of Kuapa Kokoo, a 47,000-member Ghanaian farmer cooperative that grows the cocoa used in Divine Chocolate. Kuapa Kokoo members are part owners of The Day Chocolate Company (UK), manufacturer of Divine Chocolate, making it the first farmer-owned chocolate company in the world. The Divine Chocolate Company and the Kuapa Kokoo farmer cooperative form the basis for the business model of Eighth Wonder.

Kwabene Ohemeng-Tinyase, Mary Hensley and SIT graduate Amy Moros after the opening session of the "Fair Trade Futures Conference."

August 11, 2005- The Educational Network for
Global and Grassroots Exchange (ENGAGE) is building a national Fair Trade Rice Campaign to raise awareness about trade justice issues negatively affecting
producers and consumers and to build demand for Fair Trade rice in the United States. For more information, check their action alert.

August 4, 2005- For the first time since the 1960s, the ritual drums were played in celebration of a bountiful harvest in Nagacadan, Kiangan, Ifugao. Go to the Philippine Inquirer News article "Ifugao farmers return to traditional farming"

Ampaguy Dulawan, the 83-year-old mumbaki (native priest) who presided over the thanksgiving ritual for their indigenous rice "ipugo", is the grandfather of RICE, Inc. board member Grace Pascua. Grace explains "that the article clearly illustrates that the rice is not as rice, per se. The Ifugao native rice speaks of our Ifugao self-identity and cultural integrity. That is why it differs from ordinary rice. The Ifugao native rice is a precious and priceless gift from our Ifugao god Skyworld, which nourishes not only the body but the mind and spirit of the person."

Included here are two pictures taken by Vicky when she had the honor of attending a blessing harvest ceremony in Hingyon, Ifugao earlier in June. More pictures will be posted soon in a new photo album.

August 2, 2005- Send your favorite rice recipe to us here at Eighth Wonder. If we post your recipe on the website, we will send you a 1lb package of heirloom rice from Ifugao or Kalinga!

July 20, 2005- A second photo album has been added to the Photos page and six short videos can be downloaded for viewing on a media player.

July 10-13, 2005- Vicky Garcia returned to Kalinga for follow-up meetings in the municipalities of Tabuk and Lubuagan. She reported that her trip was a success. She and Isabel Agustin, the Kalinga Provincial Coordinator, met with farmers in Lubuagan Poblacion and in the village of Uma. In Tabuk, they met with the Provincial Department of Agriculture's staff and officers. The newly appointed Kalinga Provincial Agriculturist gave the welcome address for the meeting. He said that he had heard much about Eighth Wonder and was glad to meet the people behind the project.

The Provincial Department of Agriculture has a program thrust to increase the production of traditional rice and has pledged to help coordinate and tap municipal support for the project.

June 29, 2005 - Check out the new album of photographs from the terraces posted on the Photos page!

Do you know a chef or caterer who might be interested in using these unique and wonderful varieties of rice in their restaurant or business?
Please have them contact us for more information and a price list.

June 24, 2005- The first shipment of rice arrived in Seattle! If you know of a restaurant or a chef who might be interested in trying a sample for possible use, please contact us for more information and a price list.

On June 5 Vicky attended a harvest ceremony in Ifugao. The ceremony was performed by several mumbaki (Ifugao priets) below the granary. The mumbaki call the goddesses of rice to come down and ask their favor to make the harvest fruitful and abundant and to guard the fields from evil spirits. Pictures will be posted soon.

June 11, 2005 - The first shipment of rice is due to arrive in the United States in mid June. Ten of the best staple rice varieties will be evaluated by interested chefs and caterers. Please contact us for information and samples.

May 09, 2005 - The first shipment of traditional rice was sent by ocean freight from Manila to the United States.

January-March 2005 - Participatory informational meetings were organized throughout the Cordillera to determine farmer interest in the project. Over 200 farmers, farmer representatives and government officials attended these meetings and there was unanimous support for the project. With input from farmers across the region, ten of their best staple rice varieties were collected for product evaluation.