They say that what makes up life is a matter of choice, either you wait for the opportunity to come or you open the doors yourself. In the case of Luntian Creamery’s sole proprietor, the 19-year-old agripreneur has proven that the two can be done as he started his ice cream passion project out of impulse - and for a cause.

Tristan Julius “TJ” Cleofe is a BS Economics student in UP Diliman, he lives with his parents and younger sister at Luntiang Republika Eco Farms in Alfonso, Cavite - an ATI accredited Learning Site. Growing up with a father who is now a full-time farmer, and a mother who effortlessly juggles work-life balance while also being inclined to agriculture is as inspiring and motivational as it gets.

His spontaneous purchase of an ice cream maker and fondness of this sweet treat elevated into something more purposeful - with the influence of his parents, he decided to monetize his interest. He researched on how to make ice cream and experimented on honing his own recipe, taking into account the perfect measurement and ratio of ingredients as well as the best signature flavors.

To date, he claims to have perfected five signature variations, which are available upon order. Flavors include Alfonso’s famous tablea/chocolate, their farm’s own harvest of langka, mango, ube and cheese.

When asked about his motivations in starting this agribusiness venture at a young age, he shared that he is very grateful to have the resources and opportunity to be able to monetize his interest in ice cream making. As he has always been raised humbly by his parents, he recognizes the “luxury” of being able to pursue school and his passion, among other things. That is why he continuously strives harder to be more inclined in studying and researching for development in the agriculture sector.

It wasn’t so long ago when he found the value of helping local communities.

Empowering local farmers and cooperatives

TJ’s parents recognized the need to expand the market of agricultural harvests as the pandemic surged in early 2020. As a member of a cooperative, their farm, Luntiang Republika is in partnership with local farmers as they consolidate orders from the metro. The agricultural produce from these farmers and their own harvests are bound for delivery every Saturday.

This initiative inspired TJ even more to engage in agripreneurship. To him, the promise of profit in agriculture may be blurry as of now, but its future is in the hands of the generation he is in. The need for interventions in order to empower local farmers and cooperatives is what drives him to pursue his degree in Economics.

He dedicates his education to capacitate local farmers in the future by imparting knowledge on the potentials of value addition in agriculture.