A group of entrepreneurs in the small town of Jones, Isabela, have built a company that compete with the best of the world.

This is the Jones Producers Association's GIN-C Juice Drinks brand, which is making waves both domestically and internationally.

This resourceful association was given a financial boost of P998,800.00 by the DOLE-Regional Office No. 2 in 2021 for the purchase of raw materials and equipment. The project operation started in the midst of a global pandemic, yet the enterprise kept forging forward.

It all began with a dream during the pandemic when everyone yearned for meals or drinks that might boost health stamina to fend off the COVID-19’s effects to the body. Dr. Joel Reyes, the president of the team that developed the GIN-C Juice Drink brand of organically prepared juice drinks with a dominant flavor of ginger and calamansi, gushed, and that dream became one of developing the GIN-C brand as one of the best enterprises in Cagayan Valley.

The GIN-C Juice Beverages product from the Jones Producers Association is made of fermented ginger and calamansi rather than the local fruits like mango, pineapple, oranges, and pomelo that are frequently grown there. GIN-C is a calamansi, turmeric, and ginger-based organic, natural immune-stimulating drink. The process may appear tiresome, but the specifics are surprisingly accurate. These are examples of how Filipino creativity transforms everyday local items into pandemic-era pastimes that promotes people's health. Juice extraction, fermentation, and packaging are just a few of the extremely time-consuming and delicate procedure to make the product.

While the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine restrictions were at their height, association members gave out calamansi juice drinks as a token of thanks to COVID responders and as a promotional strategy for the products. This is when the popularity of the GIN-C Juice drinks first gained traction. Isabela Governor Rodolfo T. Albano III was later introduced to GIN-C by the group, and he quickly placed an order for over a thousand boxes. Thereafter, Jones Mayor, Leticia Sebastian, and LPGMA Partylist Representative Allan U. Ty and Governor Albano assisted the team in producing the goods.

Dr. Reyes recalls this incident when speaking with Froctoso C. Agustin, the DOLE Isabela Field Office’s (IFO) livelihood focal person, and the group.

"It has been an inspiration in our province ever since," Dr. Reyes said.

The provincial government of Isabela, under the direction of Governor Albano, had the idea to market the GIN-C products as part of a program to give locals access to wholesome foods to improve their health. Now, this nutritious GIN-C drink is the main source of income in the towns of Jones, and in the cities of Cauayan, Ilagan, and Santiago which supplies the products here and abroad.

Seven (7) people are employed full-time by the Jones GIN-C production group. Moreover, ten part-time employees are available on call. Also, 100 farmers works on the calamansi and ginger turmeric plantation, which serves as the association's source of both calamansi and ginger. The average monthly revenue for this successful business is P20,000 for P100,000 monthly sales. Some of their children's educations have been financed in part by this income, which has subsequently grown to be a cherished endeavor.

GIN-C proves the ingenuity, talent, and resourcefulness. ###