Tag: Delicacies

Rejano Bakery: Where Cookies Are Transformed By Technology

Arrowroot flour is the main ingredient of cookies. What will one do when there is an insufficient supply of this in the cookie business?

This was the problem of the Rejano Bakery, an arrowroot cookie business in Marinduque that started in 1949.

Carmelita Rejano-Reyes, owner and manager of the bakery, asked helped from the Department of Science and Technology Region IV-B for the solution of this problem.

The department then gave her a grant enabling her to acquire a processing equipment that process arrowroot flour easier.

In 2006, Reyes asked help from the department again through the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP).

“SETUP is DOST’s strategy to encourage and assist SMEs to adopt technological innovations to improve their operations and thus boost their productivity and competitiveness,” said the department in a statement on Monday.

The department said that the bakery went through the “Good Manufacturing Practice Training and Audit”.

After that the bakery adopted cleaner production technologies that resulted to reducing LPG consumption by 20 percent, improving their flour production by 200 percent at the least.

“In 2009, the business received another assistance from SETUP to improve packaging and extend product shelf life which increased the product’s marketability,” the department said.

“The improved packaging enabled Rejano’s arrowroot cookies to penetrate the Metro Manila market and boost its sales by 15 percent,” it added.

Rejano’s Bakery won the 2013 Best Technoprereneur of DOST held last August 27, 2013 at Traders Hotel.

“The award was conferred in recognition of technopreneurs who, through science and technology, improved their business productivity, profitability, employment and over all contribution to the regional economy,” the department stressed. Paula Marie D. Navarra, Philippine News Agency

Read More

Rejano’s Marinduque Delicacies – Arrowroot Cookies

The Rejano’s Bakery has been making bread, cookies, pastries and sweets for over 60 years now. The tradition began in 1946 when Timoteo Castillo opened the Castillo Bakery in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque. The bakery was inherited by Crisistomo Rejano, Castillo’s adopted son. Later, Crisostomo’s wife, Belen cooked up a very good arrowroot (uraro) cookie that served as treats for friends and relatives during birthdays and weddings. Little did she know that her arrowroot cookies would become so popular even outside the boarders of Marinduque. Balikbayans and local tourists would always buy Rejano’s arrowroot cookies as pasalubongs to their loved ones in Manila and abroad. Carmelita, the daughter of Crisostomo and Belen continued the tradition. She succeeded not only in bringing the Rejano’s arrowroot cookies to arrowroot lovers in Manila, but also in sustaining the livelihood of farmers in her province.

The Rejano’s Bakery is situated in Brgy. Banahaw , Sta Cruz , Marinduque. It is very easy for you to locate the store because it is located walking distance beside the church of the town. Moreover, the bakery is famous – any locals are aware if you ask where it is.

They are proud of their unique product. “We have Gluten Free, Low Sugar and highly digestible foods here” the sales lady said.

Meanwhile, arrowroot is a starch obtained from the rhizomes (rootstock) of several tropical plants, traditionally Maranta arundinacea and the Province of Marinduque is abundant of that plant – they called it “Uraro” . Arrowroot tubers contain about 23% starch. “Madaming ganyan sa mga gubat, kinkuha lang namin yan, pero ngayon may taniman na. (In the forest area, arrowroot is wild and plenty plant and we just harvest it but there are now some plantations exist” a local said. The starch has t been quite extensively adulterated with potato starch and other similar substances in creating cookies.d being choked. Read more on I Love Tansyong TV

Read More