ELF Bagoong the name of our Bagoong business, started year 1980.  Many were asking about ELF, what’s the meaning behind it.  Word Elf itself is a common household name for a kind of vehicle,  a 4 wheel truck used for delivery.  So, everytime we have new customers in our Bagoong factory they keep asking about our business name “ELF” because of its familiarity.  Our business name derived from our first names, from Edgar (son of proprietor) Lito  (father-the owner) and Flor (the mother and the manager).

Because of my parents health condition, I now manage our business  and it’s a little bit different from my chosen field of arts, but managing a Bagoong business is like an art too,  knowing the process on making a quality product, wherein there’s a lot of mixtures to be made just like in painting but in  here, different fishes are being mixed according to their sizes and kind.  Since I grew up here in our factor, exposed to every detailed of the business, it became easy for me to manage the business and make it more profitable.  You know, before, whenever I wake up in the morning I used to ride my bicycle and go around the beach line to have fresh air and at the same time to have an exercise.  Now, my lifestyle suddenly changed, whenever I wake up in the morning, my first thing to do is to get the mixer and do the mixing of our Bagoong.  That’s how dedicated I am in running our business, I do hands on managing and  aside from that I personally look up on my laborers, watch them until they finish their duty for the day.  It is very tasky but rewarding because whenever our customers comment on our products, its like a music in my ears.  They appreciate more our products than before, all of them were satisfied and happy.  Because of good quality of our products  we have a lot of repeat orders,  sales is bigger now so as with our customers.  That’s our Bagoong, made up of  love and passion of an artist, that made ELF Bagoong different among others.  So try our mouthwatering Bagoong and taste the difference.

Pangasinan is well known for it’s mouth-watering “Bagoong”  (salted fish).  To make a quality bagoong you’ll just need fishes ( dilis, terong, galunggong, sinalyasi and tamban )  and salt for fermentation.  You’ll just ferment the fishes for three to five months and even for a year to dissolve the salt and bring out the sauce or ” patis “.  Grind fermented fish can also be added, a food coloring is an option to add for a pleasant color.

Year 1945  when my grandmother started to make ” bagoong ”  in Lingayen, Pangasinan, it was quiet different because of the low technology they have before.  Everything was done on manual, there’s no mixer for fermented fish and they used ” tapayan ” to store the bagoong and the process was so slow and a bit difficult, unlike now, bagoong makers are now using big mixers to grind fishes, they do have big ” camarin” made from cement to store and ferment the fishes, and all of the equipments used in making bagoong are stainless made.

Bagoong business is a profitable business in Lingayen, Pangasinan, many bagoong manufacturers were now successful, they earn alot of money from bagoong.

Tiny fishes from the deep blue sea of Bolinao Pangasinan are Pangasinenses and Ilocanos favorite.  These cute tiny fishes called   “Padas ” is just one of the proud product of Pangasinan, salted fish with white syrup like a condense milk, ( but not taste like milk )  best to eat with mango or calamansi ( lemon ).

” Padas ” is one of the best buy kind and the most expensive salted fish.  Bagoong makers classified it as ” first class ”  because of its pure tiny fishes and only salt was added.  To make a quality ” Padas ” is to ferment it for at least three months in order to achieve its delicious or mouth watering taste.

This is good for people who’s always in a hurry because you’ll just need to squeeze a calamansi or lemon on it and have a cup of rice, and you’ll have already an instant meal, because it’s a no cook meal.  Perfect for those who’s on the budget especially on this time of financial crisis because of  affordability of its price.

The versatility and beauty catches your attention immediately, with my wife as model is a wonderful part of the equation in this subject, representing its tones, the shade and shadow is a perfect eye viewing into my manual configurations.

A truly masterpiece!

A challenging efforts, capturing this photo in manual camera that has played to such rave reviews adding extra lights inside the jar makes complexities and generates dramatic choice of exposures.  Making again this photo a Grand Prize Winner in photography competition.

From the ELF Bagoong , Ligaya my aunt enjoying her moment being my model as she pour the boneless bagoong into the bottle with sweet smile, making her self amazed when she heard the news that this photo hanging at the galleries wall, and one of the entries Photography Competition winners…

My lovely daughter Charlene, one of my winning entries at the photo contest at Ating Yaman Photography Competition.