Karen Flores

Article (news)

"The Ube Revolution" poster

Johnson Manabat

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177674039454320260421030456_6d35812c-6764-44ab-8ba4-32eb5cb52c67.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div>BENGUET — International food brands have discovered a raw material sourced from the Philippines called ube or purple yam. From pastries to beverages, the humble crop from the country has taken over the internet and the global palate.But where did it come from? And can the humble ube farmers in the Philippine keep up with the new demand? <div>From the ground up</div>Teresita Emilio of Bgy. Bayabas in the town of Sablan, Benguet has been producing ube since she was a teenager.  The 63-year-old mother of two learned ube farming from her parents, and until now plants ube as her means of livelihood. Back in March 2026, which is an off-planting season for purple yam, Emilio showed ABS-CBN News her farm on top of the hill in their community. They have an association of ube farmers in their village with 20 members who usually supply their harvests to businesses in nearby Baguio City. Even today, Emilio is still using the traditional way of planting ube, which usually starts by preparing the land through kaingin where trees and bushes are cleared, dried, and burned as the planting season approaches in the first quarter of the year. She planted ube in April 2025 and is expecting to harvest before the end of the year.  &quot;Matagal ang ube... Pabayaan mo, tutuloy yan [lumaki]. Pangalawang beses na itong ginawa kong kaingin kaya hindi masyadong lumaki. Paminsan kasi walang pataba. Mas lalaki pa yan, kasi iyan ang kinampay,&quot; said Emilio as she points to a specific variety of ube in her small farm. <div>Survival crop</div>According to Cheryl Marie Caballero, Department of Agriculture (DA) undersecretary for high value crops, September is the usual harvest season for ube which is considered as a staple food for some Filipinos, especially in far-flung areas. &quot;In 2013, during the typhoon Yolanda, there was a study done on ube. I think that was one of the first attempts to look at the ability of one community to build up its resources and livelihood out of a tuber na available na in the local area,&quot; she told ABS-CBN News.  Cabellero noted that purple yam was considered a crucial produce in different parts of the Philippines, such as Pampanga and Bohol.  &quot;So the ube at that time was used as a survival crop. So makikita rin natin ito sa mga lugar kagaya ng Pampanga kung saan nagkaroon ng Pinatubo eruption. And when you look at Bohol, which is basically &#x27;yan &#x27;yung big area where ube is being produced, and culturally it is being consumed by the locals. It&#x27;s also a survival crop [there],&quot; she shared.   In 2024, ube was introduced abroad via the Market Sensing and Observation Mission to Spain and Paris. In that event, DA and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) presented this root crop and some of the products made out of it.  The appetizing purple color could have been among the reasons behind its sudden popularity to consumers globally, Caballero said. &quot;Sa France kasi, they are known for their culinary expertise. Yung gastronomy is high in that area and come to think of it, nandoon yung preference nila sa mga natural products,&quot; she said. &quot;And because ube can be taken as a drink -- puwede siyang puree, puwede siya sa ice cream, puwede siya sa cake -- it has really caught [their attention]. And the color and the taste appeal to their palate. So &#x27;yun &#x27;yung selling point sa kanila.&quot;  After that presentation in France, Caballero said other countries like Australia, the United States, Japan, and Canada almost simultaneously inquired about ube.  According to DTI, the global demand for purple yam resulted in $3.06 million worth of ube and ube-based product exports in 2025.  &quot;This growth highlights the crop&#x27;s transition from a local staple to a premium export ingredient in key markets, including the Middle East, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy,” DTI said.However, this global recognition has yet to have an impact on our local ube farmers -- at least for Emilio of Sablan, Benguet.  According to Emilio, they still sell their products at a very low price in the market.  &quot;Kasi ang presyo nila 40-plus at saka hanggang 70-plus [pesos]. Pinakamababa 47, 40-plus [pesos]. Mataas, pero ang benta nila sa amin hindi man mataas. Mataas ang ano (selling price) duon sa dulo-dulo,&quot; she said.  <div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gg5xmkn_aT8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div><div>Local recognition</div>One of the most popular shops that sell ube in the country&#x27;s summer capital, Baguio City, is run by the nuns of the Good Shepherd convent.  According to Sister Guadalupe Bautista, ministry coordinator of <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/02/07/21/iba-yan-convent-na-gumagawa-ng-ube-jam-ibinahagi-ang-mga-pagsubok-ng-pandemiya">Good Shepherd in Baguio</a>, the idea of selling purple yam started around 1953. She said they wanted to help the youth in their community through livelihood programs.  Through the Mountain Maid Training Center, Good Shepherd started producing strawberry jams, peanut brittle, and eventually the popular ube jam. Also located in Baguio City is the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/7/25/did-you-know-a-cafe-dedicated-to-the-famous-good-shepherd-ube-jam-just-opened-in-baguio-1339">Good Shepherd Cafe</a>, which offers a variety of ube-based products such as cake, ice cream, coffee, and pastries. Owned by Robbie Pantaleon, the cafe uses the original ube jam from the Good Shepherd convent.He opened the business in September 1, 2025, coinciding with the Baguio day celebration.  &quot;[We focused on] Ube because, number one, the Philippines is known for ube. It&#x27;s very local. I think a lot of us grew up eating ube. It&#x27;s in our halo-halo, sometimes in our pancakes. Siguro familiar na din kasi ang ube so sabi ko, why don&#x27;t we make this a local brand and make people experience ube in more and different forms?&quot; he said.  Pantaleon clarified, however, that his business is independent and not owned by the nuns of Good Shepherd convent.  &quot;We are independent, we are privately owned. Although the sisters of Good Shepherd support the idea and the concept,&quot; he said. &quot;So, what we do is basically, all the ube products that we sell, we use only Good Shepherd products. So, that&#x27;s one way of many ways that we support them and the community,&quot; Pantaleon explained.  Another purple yam-based shop in Baguio is Redzel&#x27;s, which is owned by Armi Martinez. She started selling halaya in the early 2000s, with only P450 to buy 5 kilos of ube, to sustain the needs of their family and to support her 2 children.  &quot;Baka hindi ka maniwala, nag-start lang ako ang puhunan ko P450. Nag-start lang kasi ako sa five kilos na ube hanggang sa lumaki nang lumaki. Pero pag mag-start ka na ng ganitong kalaki, medyo malaki na ang puhunan, syempre,” Martinez told ABS-CBN News.  <div>Supply strain?</div>At the Hangar public market in Baguio City, which is considered a hub for agricultural products, only a few kilos of purple ube are available.  Because of the high global demand, businesses that rely on ube are also experiencing low supply. The Benguet State University&#x27;s Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center (NPRCRTC) continues to study how to produce good varieties of ube.  &quot;Dedicated talaga for ube ito, aeroponics, ito &#x27;yung parang very first na introduction ng planting materials namin for ube. Soilless siya, hindi tayo gagamit ng soil. Ang soil kasi, tulad ng ibang problema sa production, maaaring infected siya so it will cause &#x27;yung infection din ng ating ube,&quot; NPRCRTC director Grace Backian said.  At the House of Representatives, there is a pending bill filed in April 2026 that aims to establish the Philippine Ube Industry Council that will set the standards, guide investments, coordinate agencies, and steward the long-term Philippine Ube Industry Development Program. With the help of science, and the hands of local farmers, the Philippines hopes to keep ube supply sufficient to meet the global frenzy. But as the world continues to enjoy the delicious confections made with purple yam, farmers like Emilio also wish that they, too, can taste the sweet impact of ube&#x27;s rise to fame on their meager income.

International food brands have discovered a raw material sourced from the Philippines called ube or purple yam. From pastries to beverages, the humble crop from the country has taken over the internet and the global palate.

International food brands have discovered a raw material sourced from the Philippines called ube or purple yam. From pastries to beverages, the humble crop from the country has taken over the internet and the global palate.

Ube revolution: Humble Pinoy root crop takes over global dessert scene

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Ube revolution: Humble Pinoy root crop takes over global dessert scene

Johnson Manabat,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 21, 2026 01:04 PM PHT

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Updated April 21, 2026 01:06 PM PHT

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