Binalot Fiesta Foods Inc. received an award under the Established Hero category of the HeroBrand Awards for its contributions to the good of society. HeroBrand Awards celebrate companies and brands that are making the world a better place.
“Heroes inspire us, they shape our culture and create history,” according to HeroBrand Awards. “Heroes elevate us emotionally. They strengthen us physically. Heroes change the way we see the world. They encourage us to transform ourselves for the better. Heroes give us hope.”
The Established Hero category is for larger corporations that demonstrate a commitment to social good in communities and beyond.
Binalot commits itself to give back to communities that support the company and provide assistance to those in need. DAHON, the company’s corporate social responsibility arm, runs projects that address issues on the environment, livelihood, education, poverty alleviation, and calamity relief, all aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Leaf of Faith is one such program that sources banana leaves from marginalized farming communities. These banana leaves are used to pack meals that are sold in Binalot stores.
For over a decade, it has provided small-time banana farmers with an added opportunity to profit from the banana trees growing in their backyards while ensuring that Binalot has a steady and reliable source for all its stores across Metro Manila.
Binalot, after all, is famous for its classic Filipino meals wrapped in a banana leaf—stamping the traditional Filipino brand in a modern fast-food setting.
The Eggciting Harvest program is another DAHON livelihood project that introduced salted egg production to a community located in the foothills of Nagcarlan, Laguna. It aims to improve further the economic condition of the farmers and their spouses.
It has enabled the matriarchs to supply Binalot with high-quality salted eggs to its stores. This allows them to earn additional income while in the comforts of their community.
The BAYANI program covers relief operations during disasters such as typhoons. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, its recent efforts focused on soliciting pledges from companies and individuals to provide hot meals to both medical and non-medical frontliners in different hospitals in the country.
Hot meals are prepared and delivered to the donor’s chosen institution. Binalot’s disaster response aims to contribute to the recovery and resilience of the affected Filipino communities.
DAHON has received several citations including the once-in-a-lifetime Centennial Prize in the worldwide 2007 UPS Out-of-the-Box Small Business Contest and the Intel-AIM Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility in 2010.