KRAM’s Food Products, a small to medium enterprise that produces peanut butter in Estaka, Dipolog City, is ready to grind more peanuts.

With a P120,000 support from the Department of Science and Technology-Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (DOST-SETUP), the firm is spreading up its creamy, crunchy prospects as it upgrades its peanut butter processing facility.

Through the support, KRAM’s will acquire two peanut grinders, two stainless steel tables, a peanut roaster, and a biomass stove. To improve its production process, KRAM’s also participated in DOST-Region IX’s trainings on good manufacturing practices (GMP), and on basic sanitation and hygiene for the enterprise workforce.

With these interventions, the enterprise expects to chomp up its current production by 30 percent, which will result in production of 1,008 more peanut butter jars a year.

It also targets to increase sales by 30 percent, generate additional employment, improve the quality of products through adherence to GMP, and acquire License to Operate from Department of Health’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

KRAM’s Food Products produces peanut butter from roasted peanuts that are grilled and mixed with sugar, salt and butter. The product is consumed mainly as sandwich spread, and as ingredient in making fresh lumpia and kara-kare.

It currently distributes peanut butter products in cities of Dipolog and Dapitan, and in the municipality of Manukan. As soon as the enterprise gets FDA license, it plans to expand its market to major grocery stores in Zamboanga del Norte province.

SETUP, a flagship program of DOST, is a nationwide strategy to encourage and assist micro, small and medium enterprises in the implementation of technological innovations and improvements in their operations in order to boost their productivity and competitiveness.