UPLiFT Partner is National Winner in the 2018 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards. UPLIFT Partner, Erwin Ramos, who turns bidbid fish into fishballs and other processed products, was presented the CMA Microentrepreneur of the Year award in ceremonies held at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Manila last December 07, 2018.
In 2011, Ramos, together with his wife Lanie, experimented with the use of bidbid fish, considered a nuisance in bangus fishponds, as base ingredient for fishballs. In time, they ventured into dried fish processing and fish chicharon (crispy skin) making. An initial loan of PhP5,000 from UPLIFT (Hagonoy Branch/Bulacan Program) helped Ramos launch their own brand, Erwin and Lanie’s Fishball. His production facility in Paombong, Bulacan churns out freshly made fishballs and other products on a daily basis. No part of the bidbid fish goes to waste; even the innards are used as feeds in prawn farms. To this day, Ramos continues to make product innovations while relentlessly marketing his products to clients in person.
