CAGAYAN de Oro City — A peanut-processing business that started in a small farming community in North Cotabato has taken its products to an international stage, opening new opportunities for its young founder and the farmers behind the enterprise. 

Y’Nut Food Products, founded by Vengie Villanueva Mencias, was among five Filipino agribusiness startups chosen to present their products and business models at the Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Summit during the Singapore International Agrifood Week in October 2026. 

For Mencias, the opportunity was a milestone he never expected when he started the business with limited resources in Carmen. 

“Being chosen was a dream come true for the entire Y’Nut team and me,” he said. 

He said the experience was more than an opportunity to introduce their products abroad. It also allowed him to represent the farmers and the community behind the business. 

“I knew that I was not standing there for myself alone. I was carrying the stories and hopes of the farmers behind our products,” Mencias said. 

More than peanut oil 

Y’Nut operates in the cooking oil industry, using peanuts as its main raw material. But the company has expanded beyond peanut oil by developing several products from the same crop.

Its product line includes peanut oil, peanut butter, peanut flour, peanut crumbs, CrunchNut, PeanuPolvoron and Nutri Pack. 

The company is also developing peanut shell paper bags as part of its effort to reduce waste and make better use of its raw materials. 

Mencias said the Singapore event gave them a chance to introduce these products and explain how the company turns different parts of the peanut into useful products. 

He said visitors showed interest not only in the variety of products but also in the company's approach to making better use of locally grown peanuts. 

For Y’Nut, this approach offers a way to earn more from agricultural products while reducing waste from food processing. 

Looking beyond the local market 

The Singapore experience also gave Mencias a clearer picture of what the company could pursue next. 

He said the event opened opportunities in international markets, business partnerships, product development and increased production. 

Y’Nut plans to improve its processing facilities, expand production capacity and strengthen its distribution network as it works toward reaching more consumers, including those in international markets. 

But Mencias said expanding the business should also benefit the farmers who supply its raw materials. 

Y’Nut currently works with 312 peanut farmers across Region XII, with a potential supply capacity of about 40 metric tons of raw peanuts monthly. 

He sees an opportunity to create more value from their harvests by turning raw peanuts into products that can reach wider markets. 

“Instead of simply selling raw peanuts, we can create more value within our own communities, generate livelihood opportunities, and help farmers benefit from the products their hard work makes possible,” he said. 

For Mencias, the Singapore experience should not end with the company's international exposure.

“My ultimate dream is to see Y’Nut grow beyond borders while making sure that the farmers who helped build this dream also grow with us,” he said. 

The young entrepreneur hopes to build a stronger peanut-processing business that can bring locally made products to more consumers while creating better market opportunities for farmers. 

For a startup from Carmen, reaching an international platform is a major step. The bigger challenge now is turning that opportunity into lasting business growth for the community that helped make it possible.