For the founder, Pili Ani was created to be a tribute to Filipino traditions and its identity of resilience and sincerity
Throughout her career, Rosalina Tan found her life’s fulfillment through acts of reciprocation and the grass beneath her feet. Starting out as a businesswoman in the livestock industry, Tan garnered a reputation for the candor in her work ethic, allowing her to grow a network that later led to her pioneering the legislation of organic agriculture practices in the Philippines.
It was through the travels from her campaigns that the activist developed a deep appreciation for the Bicol province, which she later moved to in 2006. Apart from being able to surround herself with the region’s stretches of flora, Tan’s move also led her to discover the pili tree and the two essential oils that would later serve as the blueprint of her brand, Pili Ani.
Founded alongside her daughter, Mary Jane in 2016, the brand sought to address the needs of two different audiences: those seeking organic products to adopt in their skincare routines and the farmers whose livelihoods grow alongside the brand. “I also see it as a tree of life, as every part, from the fruit and leaves to the resin, provides a livelihood for local communities,” shares the 79-year-old.
Tan herself had the fervor to grow alongside the family business as well, even spearheading the company’s practice of ethically tapping and harvesting from pili trees. But for the duo, the success of Pili Ani makes its way back to the land that grew it, while also placing emphasis on the community of farmers that continue to work closely with the brand.
“What I’ve learned from the farmers is that they are incredibly adaptive and eager to innovate, given the right opportunities,” the agriculturalist shares. Today, Pili Ani has cultivated a catalog of products that make use of the perennial plant’s pili oil and elemi resin, utilizing their rejuvenating and fortifying properties to be the organic solution for firm yet moisturized skin.
Just a year after its founding, the brand was also able to extend its reach to an American audience, emphasizing the brand’s Filipino heritage through each product as well as its transparency in traceability and sustainable practice.
With a career led by her passion for the environment, Tan continues her advocacies in sustainable business practices by paving new avenues for such within the country’s agricultural sector. From authoring the bill that continues to protect the pili industry to setting the gate price of pili oil and elemi resin for the benefit of the farmers who grow them, the founder still keeps on with her work by educating the farming community on the importance of caring for pili trees as well as its proper harvesting practices.
Today, Rosalina Tan remains to oversee the various facets of Pili Ani, even joining in tree-planting initiatives while maintaining the company’s shared focus in seeing that the brand continues to reflect its success on their farmers’ livelihoods and the environment she continues to fight for.
Visit the Pili Ani website to learn more, and follow their Instagram page to see their latest promotions.
