By JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
Dubbed as “‘GenSea: Dive Into Sustainability,” the joint campaign aims to build a community and platform for like-minded individuals who are on a mission to make our oceans a cleaner, richer and more bountiful place.
Cold Storage and Save Philippine Seas (SPS) joined forces to create a campaign that aims to secure the future of Philippine seas through a series of fundraising events and producing educational content on sustainable fishing, marine wildlife and more.
“GenSea is a fitting title for this campaign because SPS is focused on developing a generation of ‘seatizens,’ or people who appreciate and care for our seas. This partnership will support our environmental education programs and help us develop communication materials on sustainable seafood,” said Anna Oposa, executive director of SPS.
For its part, Cold Storage further showed its dedication to the cause when its president, Marco Qua committed to not just donate to SPS, but also actively take part in various projects to help raise more funds for the organization. Cold Storage — which has been a leading name in the frozen seafood industry for 27 years — also aims to use its extensive network to engage with F&B professionals and influential individuals to amplify the campaign’s reach and impact.
An enhanced understanding
“Partnering with SPS has significantly enhanced our understanding of sustainable practices,” said Qua during a recent GenSea event. “Through this collaboration, we’ve identified innovative ways to improve our processes and products, ensuring both environmental stewardship and long-term product sustainability. This partnership emphasizes our commitment to protecting marine ecosystems while delivering high-quality and sustainable products to our customers.”
To kick things off, SPS and Cold Storage held a panel discussion on sustainable practices for local food & beverage businesses. Award-winning author and chef Angelo Comsti moderated the panel, consisting of Nicco Santos & Quenee Vilar of Restaurant Aurora, Stephan Duhesme of Metiz / Automat, Patrick Go of Your Local, and Rhea & Jayjay SyCip of The Fatted Calf.
More than words
But of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so to speak. As such, SPS and Cold Storage followed up the discussion with a tasting event at Your Local in Makati. This showcased a variety of seafood dishes expertly crafted by Chef Patrick Go and his very able team.
Among these were the mouthwatering suahe (small shrimp) served on mantou with tomato sambal and mentaiko; the halibut served with carrot curry and kangkong on a bed of Bacolod tuyo rice; and the apahap (sea bass) in bisugo borth, kaffir and charred radish.
Gourmands can look forward to similar dining activities in the future, where a portion of the proceeds will go to GenSea funding.
“Since 2019, Cold Storage has been taking steps towards more sustainable operations. It wasn’t easy, we were learning as we go, but we are committed to doing our part in protecting our seas… Our partnership with Save Philippine Seas is not just about discussions, it is about real action and meaningful impact. Together, we are committed to fostering trust and loyalty among conscientious consumers who value sustainability.” concluded Qua.
