In line with the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) objective to promote inclusive growth and bolster the competitiveness of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Cagayan Valley Region, DTI-Region 2 through its culture-oriented and tradition-based product development activity under One Town, One Product (OTOP) Next Generation Project assisted 73 MSMEs enrollees regionwide in 2020.

The activity was initiated to create an industry with a distinct point of view through culture-inspired products and establish a strong image for Cagayan Valley Region through unified branding of its provinces and products. This was conducted by DTI Consultant Mr. PJ Arañador, an international lifestyle designer whose work spans across Asia, Africa, South, Central and North America, the Caribbean, Australia, and Europe.

Of the 34 Food Sector MSMEs, the designers developed 63 food packaging/label designs while 39 Non-Food Sector MSMEs developed a total of 200 new product designs. Likewise, five cultural identity brand logos conceptualized by DTI Consultant Mr. PJ Arañador were developed as brand identity in promoting each provinces of the region in various marketing strategies.

The outputs of this product development focused on the production and promotion of culture-inspired products through application of cultural prints, patterns, symbols, colors, and images to package and label designs, wearables, and homestyle items, which gives Region 2 its own distinct cultural identity.

This project included Scoping of Cultural Identity – Writeshops and Focus Group Discussions, Presentation of Cultural Identity Scoping Output, Intensive Product Development Activity, Online Prototype Monitoring and Evaluation, and Seminar/Workshop on Pricing/Costing for Retail/Export. Meanwhile, DTI-Region 2 looks forward to more MSME enrollees this 2021 as it aims to promote a unified and culture-inspired branding direction for Cagayan Valley products.♦

Date of Release: 22 February 2021