Carmelray Yields Reach All-Time High!

Just four months after the birth of our very first manufacturing plant in Carmelray Industrial Park in Laguna, Human Nature has yet another milestone to celebrate as production yields reach an all-time high, thanks to the collective efforts of our Production, Research & Development, and Quality Assurance teams!

With a team over 80 strong backing her, Formulator Lady Espinosa speaks of this achievement with the pride and joy of a mother. "Our yields are much better than that of our previous manufacturers," she beams. "Production planning has greatly improved from when Carmelray started. We are now 100% certain that our products are being produced according to our own requirements, which are more stringent than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All of our products - except for color cosmetics, hot-filled products, and Bug Shield - are now being manufactured in Carmelray."

All Systems Go

Despite its company being only six years old, Team Carmelray is definitely not one to be underestimated - its highest quality standards and talented teams are what distinguish it from other toll manufacturers and what keep operations running smoothly. On top of the FDA requirements, Team Carmelray also follows the Natural Products Association's requirements for raw materials, as well as very strict microbiological requirements for raw materials and packaging materials.

"Quality of products is top priority in all instances," Lady declares.

A typical day at Carmelray normally begins by checking the production plan for the day then checking for manpower availability, production area readiness, dispensed raw materials' accuracy, and document correctness. Upon completion of this inspection, monitoring and supervision of the whole production ensues. At the end of the day, all reports pertaining to the day's production should be communicated to the relevant departments.

Its seamless operations may sometimes hit a few speedbumps along the way, but that does not deter Team Carmelray from powering through - allowing them to emerge exhausted but fulfilled and equipped for their next battle.

"My proudest achievement? Soap!" Lady exclaims. "Soap line at Carmelray was my pet project last December. Together with QA Specialists Caress [Alejandro] and Isah [Concepcion] and the unwavering support from Plant Manager Nanay Mildred [Baril] and my ever-loving R&D and QA team, I pulled through still intact and ready for more challenges."

On the Shoulders of Giants

Much of Carmelray's success can be attributed to expertise picked up along the way. Having worked with ten toll manufacturers in the past is what allowed Human Nature to address major problems from the start and granted them the foresight to put preventative measures into place for probable problems.

"Starting a manufacturing company is never easy because so many things are outside your control," Lady explains. "But with a realistic game plan and a dedicated mindset, soap production is now on the final stage of establishment."

What keeps Team Carmelray's eyes set on the prize is what they view to be their purpose in impacting the Philippines in their own way. "Aside from the fact that we love what we do, it inspires us that we are a Pro-Poor, Pro-Philippines, Pro-Environment company," says Lady.

"Personally, I am also inspired by the love and friendship that emanates from Team Carmelray," she continues. "The will to be the best in what we do inspires us to push through despite the differences in values and training, and the difficulties and hardships that we are encountering. Support, love, and friendship - the three things that keep us going."

The Future of Carmelray

So what does Lady envision for Carmelray's future?

"A very busy facility where well-trained and experienced personnel are working together guided by good manufacturing practices and operational excellence," she illustrates.

In line with our commitment to doing business with a heart, Human Nature has always gone against common practices such as implementing low minimum wages and contractual labor, especially in our own manufacturing plant. Which is why we are proud to announce that the first round of regularizations for Team Carmelray's first batch of production employees - hired last August 2014 - will take place next week!

With regularization comes not only a salary increase, but also more opportunities to earn through incentives. Most importantly, unlike in many large multinational companies that practice contractual labor, our regularized production employees will finally be able to enjoy the fulfilment of finally having a stable, well-paying job that will allow them to provide for themselves and their families.

"I am expecting that we will help more people by giving them stable jobs and a brighter future for their families," Lady smiles.

We salute you, Team Carmelray!

Goodness By the Bay

by Dia Lacaba


The start of the new year also kicked off revitalized Human Nature operations in the United States. I spent a week in January working with a passionate, hard-working team of Filipinos based in the West Coast, all committed to spreading the goodness in the US. During the course of my market visit, I got to learn more about the US personal care market, our new Bay Area distributors, and our new US business development manager.

Human Nature San Francisco, our newest area distributor in the US, is composed of four entrepreneurial young Filipino mothers who grew up in the Philippines but migrated to the US. Led by Yam del Rosario of Human Nature's very successful Pasig and Cainta branches, the team is rounded out by Grace Santa Ana, Ochie Ramos-Ching, Lea Leyva, and their Philippine-based partner, Lindsey Tan.

Taking Human Nature to the San Francisco Bay Area

When asked what ultimately made them decide to be part of the Human Nature journey in the US, Lea and her husband Gabriel, who's a pastor, shared that they had long been praying for a chance to make even more of a positive impact in the lives of others. Grace, meanwhile, saw it as an opportunity to work with good people who also happened to be long-time friends, and who shared her passions and vision for the business. The other members of the team feel similarly.

Sowing the seeds of goodness

Together with Aycee Ursua, a familiar face at Human Nature head office who's now based in the US and tasked to help grow our business there, we held our very first team meeting at the Flood Building, one of San Francisco's beautifully preserved landmarks. Lea's long-time friend and mentor had lent us her company's conference room, and we didn't waste any time in taking photos to commemorate our "historic" first meeting.


Everyone came prepared with fresh ideas for sowing the seeds of Human Nature goodness in the Bay Area, which made our sessions interactive and fun. As further evidence of their commitment to goodness, HN SF pledged to set aside 1% of their gross revenues to be directly used for programs that are also aligned with Human Nature's core advocacies. This early, they have identified Gawad Kalinga USA as a potential organization that they would like to pursue a partnership with.

Our US team has big ambitions for the brand. Apart from the 500,000 Filipino-Americans living in the Bay Area, they are keen to reach the mainstream American market as well. Lea shares, "From small seeds, comes great harvest! Human Nature seeds are planted and are now growing in the Bay Area one house at a time." Grace adds that their dream is for "every US household to know it, use it, and swear by it!" Aycee concludes, "We want to prove that Human Nature's dream is doable and possible. We will be the gold standard of a globally successful enterprise with a heart that will embolden all businesses to better serve society. "

Studying the US market

The HN SF team and I also visited various retail outlets in the Bay Area, from natural product giants like WholeFoods and Trader Joe's to old Filipino mainstays like Serramonte Mall and Seafood City. Yam and Aycee, starved for Filipino food, even managed to convince me to have lunch at Jollibee, where I found that they serve the same juicylicious Chickenjoy -- but in American-sized portions.

I've always considered San Francisco to be an exciting city. Yes, there are famous tourist spots like the Golden Gate Bridge and the popularly crooked Lombard Street. But, more fascinatingly, it has become a thriving startup hub, and is home to some of today's most innovative companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Twitter. I fully expect Human Nature to be quite at home there, with our equally innovative and radical approach to doing business.

As we go global, I hope we can show even more businesses that it's possible to do good - paying our workers well, working with our partner farming communities, caring for our environment -- and still make a profit. With the launch of our operations in the Bay Area, we aim to not only prove that Filipino brands can compete with the biggest brands in the world, but also that we can do it with purpose and heart.



Love for a Lifetime

by Tish Martinez-Castillo
Photos by Cheryl Castaneda


The air was positively buzzing with excitement as employees filed in to Human Nature's Flagship Store for the Love Month advocacy night.

Various iterations of "Sinong date mo sa Valentines? (Who's your Valentines date?)" followed by boisterous laughter could be heard between gulps of refreshing sago't gulaman and bites of scrumptious siomai. It took a while for everyone to settle down and listen to Tito Tony Meloto's Love Forum.

"I'm here, giving you advice...because even if I only have five children, I consider all Human Nature employees as my own," began Tito Tony. As founder of Gawad Kalinga, he is no stranger to seeing love stories unfold. "Gusto kong makahanap lahat ng life partner (I want everyone to find a life partner)."

He began to narrate how his own love story was guided not by looking for the most beautiful or sexiest girl but for someone with qualities he admired. "I met many beautiful girls but when you are looking for someone to spend your life with, you realize that beauty will fade. So why focus on that?" He added that seeing the beauty queens he admired in his youth made him realize that now that they are all in their 60s, that his wife turned out to be the most beautiful of all.

"And another thing, we have so many requirements for prospective partner: needs to be a graduate of this school, needs to have a good job, a car, good background, this height, etcetera. But let me ask you - if such a perfect person existed, papansinin ka ba niya? (would he notice you?)"

He added time is better spent on cultivating an unconditional love for others. "True love is unconditional and we can practice this by loving the poor; by offering unconditional love for the least of our brothers and sisters. Let me tell you, someone who loves unconditionally is truly attractive."

He added that "unconditional love is like a lamp that helps us see & be seen by others."

Tito Tony's sage words were met with applause and cheers. His inspiring message was followed by a performance by the Voice contestant and Rak of Aegis star Poppert Bernadas. His ballads set the tone for what was up next - "It's a Date! Human Nature Edition".



The dating game had three rounds and "searchees" from different departments competed all in hopes of winning the heart of the searchers - Human Nature model Maita Visenio and GK Enchanted Farm's very own "One Directioner" Louis Faure. Maita met her match in the person of Warehouse's Joffet Jaramilla while the Finance Department's Leihana Taguiam's smooth talking captured Louis's heart.

There was much excitement when the last searcher's identity was revealed -- Category Manager Zinia Avellaneda, turned heads as she took the stage as the last searcher. Dubbed as the "Choice Bloom of the Marketing Department", Zinia had to pick a date from a pool of dashing social entrepreneur. In the end, the wit and self-depreciating humor of Golden Duck's Alvie Benitez caught Zinia's attention.

While only the winning pairs of the dating game were treated to a lovely dinner at Enchanted Farm Café, I am sure all of us went home filled to the brim.

Featured Employee: Soraya Mapilis

If you've ever dropped by Human Nature's displays in Landmark Makati, you may have noticed one of our company gems roving around with a bright smile and a positive attitude. Only 25 years old, Soraya Mapilis has the achievement of being Human Nature's very first merchandiser to be assigned in a department store setting. With her charm and dedication, she was consistently able to go beyond her job scope to meet the high standards required of her and catch the attention of Ms. Naty Apostol, Landmark's Buyer, resulting in Soraya lobbying for bigger and better displays.

Despite her consistent success, Soraya remains humble in her willingness to go the extra mile. "Sobrang gusto kung magtrabaho sa Human Nature kasi may pagpapahalaga sila sa employee nila," Soraya says. "Sobrang nagbago po talaga ang buhay ko at ng pamilya ko. May maliit na negosyo si papa, may palayan pa, nakabili din kami ng motor pang services ni papa sa palayan. Sobrang thankful ako ng nakapasok ako sa Human Nature."

Congratulations, Soraya! We're blessed to have you as part of our Human Nature family.




Would you like to share your good news and inspirational stories with the rest of our Human Nature family? Send your goodness stories to nicole.sa@humanheartnature.com! Three stories will be featured each month, so come and share the goodness!