Salikneta Mart: A closer look into the secret shop

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a curious sight.

As I lounged about along the benches between SJ Hall and the Faculty Center, a random passerby carried with her what seemed to be vegetables inside a plastic bag as she strode out of William Hall.

I would have deemed it as just mere coincidence had I not seen it again, with another person on the same day. And the appearance of a third the next morning was confounding. I would have assumed something as ridiculous as the idea of the greenhouse inside DLSU growing an underground vegetable farm and setting up their own small palengke. Though such an idea would make an incredible and amusing story, it was not so. There was a palengke, but not in the traditional sense.

If you were to cross William Hall towards the gazebo, walk further towards the treeline, turn left, and stride further on the path towards a seemingly nameless structure often visited by only the University staff, then amidst the shrubberies and trees, you will find something both appropriate and out of place. A quaint little store, its shelves are filled with all sorts of produce, varieties of talong, bundles of beans, kalabasa, onions, among others. Fruits are also present—a mound of dragon fruits, passions fruits, seniorita bananas. Trays of fresh eggs line the shelves, and their refrigerators are filled with fresh milk and calamansi juice in different flavors and sizes. This is Salikneta Mart, the only one of its kind in DLSU.

What is Salikneta Mart?

A small mart for farm-grown veggies and other agricultural products open to everyone in the University, Salikneta Mart has a deep connection with the Lasallian community, though it is not so popular. Its produce and products all hail from the Salikneta Farm in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, a farm that is part of the De La Salle Araneta University (DLSAU) under the Agrivet Science Institute, its extension school for agriculture based education.

The Salikneta Mart at DLSU is the second store to be established by the Lasallian community, with its first store established in Malabon. Yet, they have been here in DLSU long before the establishment of the store. Sandra Mae Dela Cruz, one of the pioneering students of the Agrivet Science Institute under its agriculture program and current staff in the Salikneta Farm, has been there since the beginning. “Before pa yung store talaga naplano, nagbebenta na ako dito. As in, sa gilid ng Perico’s sa may parking doon. Ang may alam lang noon ay yung faculty, admin, and staff. Kasi talaga nagdedeliver lang kami ng produce. Kasi may mga lumapit na ‘Meron ba kayong ganito? May gulay na ganoon?’ So doon ako nagsimula magdala dito ng iba-ibang klaseng gulay.” With the high demand for their produce, and with the support of Br. Jun Ergiza, the Salikneta Store here in DLSU was born.

Greenery amidst the concrete

All products, from its vegetables and fruits, to its milk, eggs, and calamansi extracts and juices, were grown, harvested, and processed under the wing of DLSAU. However, it does not limit itself to home-grown produce. They also sell a variety of meat products like longganisa and burger patties among others, and baked products like bread rolls, cookies, cassava cakes, breads and so on, all made and processed in the institute and by its students. They also sell a variety of potted herbs for any would-be gardener. They sell all kinds, from varied types of basils, mint, oregano, dill, and so on.

Of course, not all of it comes from the University’s farm. They also help out in selling the goods from neighbouring farms, mostly from small farmers. “Nag-outsource rin kami ng products doon sa area namin. Yung mga kapitbahay namin doon, yung small farmers. So parang tulong na rin namin… in bulk kami bumibili sa kanila, dinadala namin dito, at binebenta namin,” says Dela Cruz.

It is not merely for agricultural entrepreneurship that these stores are built, either. Dela Cruz shares how she comes from the education provided by these stores. As a scholar herself in the institute, she expresses her enthusiasm for this newly built store. She expresses further that this store and others like it give great support to scholarships back in her school. “[Lahat ng] benta napupunta sa scholarship. Libre kasi lahat doon [for scholars]. Food and lodging at tuiton, maliban sa personal expenses.”

Something new for Lasallians?

Something as new as fresh produce and other products inside the University can spell out many things for the community living within the vicinity of DLSU, particularly for students living in dorms and condos around Taft. “Convenient siya para sa mga students na nakacondo na malapit sa school na nag-cocook ng sarili nilang meals. Parang after class, pwede na siya bumili pauwi,” says Lorenze (II, MKT).

And with fresh food so easily at hand, students living on their own now find better means of getting food for themselves. “I would appreciate that! I think people living in Taft need a merchandiser that sells fresh produce—something that regular convenience stores can’t offer,” says Timothy (IV, AB-CAM).

Despite its novelty, Salikneta Mart and its establishment is something that we Lasallians should always consider when we look into the broader sense of things. What this store signifies for the Lasallian community is both education for the needy, and social entrepreneurship in ways creative, helpful, and innovative.