by Kenneth K. Ong
Davao City is well-known for its durian, pomelo and many other tropical fruits that are cherished for their unique and exotic taste. But, unbeknownst to many, Davao also produces some of the best cheeses in the country, thanks to the Malagos Farmhouse. The brainchild of artisan cheese maker Olive Puentespina, Malagos cheese is making waves in the culinary circles of Manila.
“It actually started with me and my husband importing goats around the year 2000,” Puentespina fondly recalls. “We started with 30 heads but were, at the time, busy with our Bo’s bird show that was touring Manila. So, we left the goats in the care of my mother-in-law and were pleasantly surprised when we came back to see that there were already around 100 heads.”
Being the savvy business person that she is, Puentespina started to find ways of maximizing the herd of goats and their production of milk. “The average Dabawenyo doesn’t consume much goat’s milk, which led me to research on other products based on goat’s milk as a primary ingredient.”
In time, Puentespina began making goat’s milk soap. “We tried making goat’s milk soap but the actual amount of goat’s milk used in making the soap was actually not much. So, I thought, why don’t I make cheese instead since cheese is basically just milk” says Puentespina. “So we started making feta cheese, a simple goat cheese, for the local market.” It proved to be a slow process of of testing and perfecting the cheese and the cheese making process until in September of 2006, her feta was ajudged the Cheese of the Month by the Cheese Club of the Philippines. It was a landmark achievement, since it was the first time locally made cheese won such an honor.
Today, Malagos produces different kinds of cheese aside from their now famous feta cheese, most of which are now served in premiere hotels in Manila like The Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-la and the Manila Hotel, to name a few. Even the country’s premiere flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, serves Malagos cheese on their flights, having opted for locally made Chevere, Blue Cheese and Feta over imported cheeses. “We supply four kinds of cheese to Philippine Airlines, consisting of around 70kg per kind of cheese.” beams Puentespina. “We make a special Blue Cheese for Philippine Airlines that contains some mango.” She also makes smaller batches of artisan cheese that cater to the needs of gourmet chefs like Reggie Aspiras and Margarita Fores. “I sometimes name these artisan cheeses in honor of friends or relatives after the character of the cheese I make,” she laughs.
All Malagos cheeses are 100% made in Davao using 100% locally sourced ingredients. “We not only produce our own milk,” says Puentespina, “we also grow our own herbs and spices. In some instances when we need more milk, we purchase it from a dairy farm nearby. The mangoes we use also come from a local supplier not far from our farm.” she adds that the use of local ingredients and techniques adapted to the local climate gives a distinct flavor to the cheeses Malagos produces.
When asked what she sees in the future, Puentespina believes that the future is bright and that more can still be done. “My cheeses are there because chefs today are more open to experiment. We are all free to explore the possibilities.” Although 95% of all the cheese she produces are sold to markets outside of Davao, Puentespina is hopeful that one day Dabawenyos will add one more exotic food to their table which they can be proud to share with the rest of the world.
Malagos Cheese is available locally at the Swiss Deli, Bonna Terra and Spirale.
