It was the year of 2002 when Domingo Angeles started his idea of blending his wine as well as building his very own winery. It all started with managing a 3.5-hectare land filled with Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) owned by a Japanese investor. The main purpose of the farm is to provide an alternative sweetener for certain products to be exported to Japan.

Due to certain conditions, the fruits developed abnormalities and were rejected and put to waste. Angeles thought of something to utilize the rejected fruits. It dawned on him to start his passion in wine-making which he shared with the Japanese investor that he was doing business with. The said investor allowed him to use the offshoot of the products in creating his own line of products.

In 2007, Angeles approached Dr. Erlinda Dizon of University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) BIOTECH for assistance and was referred to a Food Technology student. Angeles and the student worked hand-in-hand in improving the efficiency of his wine-making process.

In 2009, he produced the first batch of his wine which received a lot of attention in his niche market. In the succeeding years, he was able to secure the necessary permits and licenses for his wines and then, officially, Lopa Winery was born.

In 2013, he was able to seek the assistance of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Laguna Provincial Office and was able to participate in several programs and trade fairs to showcase the wide range of wines that he had produced. Later on, he was able to acquire a license-to-operate (LTO) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

DTI-Laguna further assisted on the Lopa Winery’s packaging development by linking Mr. Angeles with a well-known designer. However, he was not able to avail of the former’s services. He opted to ask the assistance of another undergraduate student in order to create a prototype for his packaging.

Lopa Winery became a member of the Association of Laguna Food Processors (ALAFOP), which helped him to unlock more opportunities in making his wines known in the domestic market, and eventually, in the international scene. Now, the winery offers a wide array of wines made from lakatan, bignay, ginger, and turmeric.

Mr. Domingo Angeles of Lopa Winery proved that passion and determination are essential factors in being successful as he is now embracing the success through the flourishing of his business.♦

Date of Release: 18 May 2022