Pamora Farm, Inc. is a Filipino-European joint venture that operates a free-range chicken farm in Barangay Garreta, Pidigan, Abra.
Free-range farming is a method of
raising animals where they are left to roam freely in an allocated
area with minimum required space. Free-range chickens are raised for a
longer period than commercial chickens. They are allowed to develop
natural habits and grow the way a normal chicken should -- scratching
the ground and roaming the barnyard. They are grown for their
flavorful taste.
Free-range chickens are grown
naturally. Free-range chickens have low fat content, only 8-10%
compared to regular commercial chicken that has 19-29% fat content.
Last April 27, 2013, we had a lunch meeting with the friendly owners of Pamora farm Mr. Gerard Papillon and Tina Morados, in Brasserie Cicou Restaurant at Greenhills. The sumptuous menu prepared by Chef Cyrille Soenen and Chef Summer, while Gerald and Tina talks and presented to us through with every meal we had.
First we had Green Salad, Pickles and Mustard, Baggette and assorted Pamora Pates. There are six (6) varieties of Pamora pâtés. These Home-made Pâtés are good for appetizers.
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Green Salad, Pickles and Mustard |
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Assorted Pamora Pâtés |
The Roasted Coquelet with Rosemary and Garlic served with Mashed Potato is really flavorful. I tasted it, different chicken roasted from other restaurant, but seasoned simply and roasted to perfection.
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Roasted Coquelet |
For the dessert, we were served with Trio of Crème Brulee (Vanilla, Chocolate and Green Tea). As the delicious mouth-watering Trio of Crème Brulee main ingredient is the Pamora egg which came from the Pamora free-range chicken.
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Trio of Crème Brulee (Vanilla, Chocolate and Green Tea) |
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Mr. Gerard Papillon and Tina Morados with Chef Summer |
As shared by Tina, Free-range chickens are grown longer,
thus the meat is firmer, cooking time takes longer for free-range
chickens, although you will not need any flavoring additives like
broth cubes or chicken stocks. Salt and pepper will be enough, and
sometimes even those are not needed.
"You can cook it in any way as you would
your regular chicken. But with deep-frying all the natural flavors
and health benefits will be lost. Cooking time is always longer than
regular commercial chicken."
Gerard and Tina Morados Papillon's hardwork and enduring partnership led them to be awarded by the French Ambassador with the “Order of Merit for Agriculture, Grade of Knight” for promoting the natural and humane way of raising and manufacturing chicken byproducts.
We enjoyed having this sumptous lunch and great conversation with passionate advocate people who gave us combination of French and Filipino hospitality and their combined stories of Pamora Farm. Thanks to Ms. Nana Nadal inviting us to know more about free-range chicken by the Pamora farm brand. I hope to experience Pamora farm at Barangay Garreta, Pidigan, Abra sometime.
Read this for more information, and enjoy this wonderful world of Pamora Farm.
THE FREE-RANGE METHOD
Free-range is a method of farming husbandry
where the animals, like the chickens, are permitted to roam freely. The principle of free-range method is to allow
the animals to live at their instinctual behaviour in a reasonably natural way instead
of being contained in a cage like commercial broiler production where the
chickens are forced to grow abnormally fast in just about 4 to 5 weeks (28-35
days).
Free-range
chickens roam in a barnyard or field (range) to forage with a minimum of eight
(8) hours daylight. Aside from the daily intake of milled yellow corn, they eat
whatever organic food they could find on the ground like grass, insects, and
the like.
Pamora
free-range chickens come from a coloured breed from France. This breed is a
slow growing type of broiler. Quality F1’s or first generation offspring are
being raised in Pamora Farm.
Two
weeks before the scheduled arrival of a new batch of day-old chicks, housing
are being prepared for brooding (heating) purposes. Cleaning, disinfection,
repairs, and equipment/materials check-up are requisite routine to ensure the
bio-security of the flock and of the farm.
Chicks
are kept for the first 21 days inside the housing with brooding facilities.
This helps them gain strength and get ready for outside life, free-range. The
farm grows different trees, grass, and herbal plants for shade and natural
feeds for the chickens.
There
are several ranging areas operating in the farm. Each range has between 500 to
2,000 chickens. Depending on the topography, each range occupies some 1,000 to
3,000 square meters, which provides approximately 1 to 2 square meters ranging
area per bird to freely graze and find organic food available on the ground.
The
use of herbal medicines, like oregano, chilli, garlic, ginger, kakawate leaves,
caimito leaves, ipil-ipil leaves, guava leaves and many more, is also practiced
and given at proper and appropriate times. Veterinary and technical consultants
who are experts in free-range poultry practice regularly visit and assist in
the farming methods, which applies and implements both local and French
technologies.
Pamora Free-range
chickens are grown at a minimum of 70 days. Having the chickens ranging for
longer period gives the optimum natural chicken taste, firmer meat quality, and
much healthier poultry meat with less fat content.
THE FARM
Pamora
Farm started raising free-range chicken in March 2000 as a small-scale farm
undertaking by the Papillon
(Gerard) and Morados (Tina)
family, their last names forming the brand, PAMORA.
Pamora Farm is also promoting their farming method the among people of
Abra, providing livelihood opportunities for the community.
Aside from the free-range chicken farming for meat and eggs production,
the farm also grows organic fruits and vegetables for own consumption and for
visitors/guests’ staying in the farm. Using natural fertilizer from earthworm
dung (vermin-culture) and composts from degradable farm wastes such as chicken
manure, Pamora Farm produces fruitful and high quality crops.
Within the farm
premises, reforestation projects, and planting of high quality wood trees like
Narra and Mahogany.
THE PRODUCTS
Pamora Farm products are all inspected,
passed, registered and certified by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS)
and Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).
All
dressed chicken and chicken meat by-products are processed in the Poultry
Dressing Plant owned and operated solely by Pamora Farm, Inc. Accredited by the
National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and certified Good Manufacturing
Practices (GMP).
Pamora Farm also manufactures traditional French
“home-made” pâtĂ©s from the free-range chicken. PâtĂ© is a mixture of various
parts of the chicken (liver, gizzard, meat) blended (with herbs, black pepper
and sea salt) into a paste and sterilized in glass jars. Pâté is a traditional
practice in France of preserving meat of any kind.
The following six (6)
varieties of Pamora pâtés are creations of Mr. Gérard Papillon using
old-fashioned recipes from his grandmother.
·
Chicken Liver
Pâté
·
Chicken
Breast & Liver Pâté
·
Chicken
Gizzard Pâté
·
Chicken Liver
& Gizzard Pâté
·
Chicken
Breast Pâté
·
Chicken
Breast & Gizzard Pâté
Pamora Farm also produces limited quantities of
free-range chicken eggs, which are well appreciated for its quality that is
comparable to native chicken in taste, color, and texture. They also offer
chicken burger patties.
Pamora chickens, eggs & pâté
products are available at the following :
Santis delicatessen
Terry Selections
Rustan’s
Supermarket
Shopwise
Metro Market! Market!
RFI Farm Outlet (Holy Spirit,
QC)
Joji Berry (Crossroad 77 Mother Ignacia, QC)
NCCC – Davao
Champetre
restaurant (BGC)
Brasserie Ciçou (Greenhills)
Resorts World Manila
Ilustrado
Restaurant (Intramuros)
El Nido Resorts
Amanpulo
Saturday Market, Ayala
Alabang Village
Golden Acres Farm, Inc. (distributor)
For more information, visit www.pamorafarm.com
or call (02) 759-2678 / (02) 506-1082 / (0917) 537-5639 / (0917) 591-7391.