Cauliflower rice. You’ve heard of it. But have you tried it? I didn’t until I found out about Caulibabe.
Caulibabe is a local, independent company that serves up pre-portioned cauliflower rice packs. If you’ve ever wanted to switch out your rice for something that’s only 25 calories a serving, Cauilibabe is one way to do it.
Each pack is equivalent to one cup of white rice, so you get exactly the amount you want. Preparation doesn’t require the rice cooker. I like to heat it with just a little bit of olive oil. You most definitely can make fried rice with it. The taste is what you would expect good cauliflower to be, and the texture doesn’t make you feel you’re just eating vegetable mush.
The product instantly became a hit with model Jessica Yang, influencer Janina Manipol, and actress Kate Valdez among others. I then got curious about the story behind the brand.
Caulibabe’s founder tells us, “Before starting Caulibabe, I worked for five years in management consulting and advertising and marketing. I always had the entrepreneurial itch and always wanted to start my own business. Because of this, I used my five years of working to grow my savings and build skills to become an entrepreneur.”
She also shares how her diet story and thwarted plans due to the pandemic gave her some new insight.
How did the business start?
Caulibabe started serendipitously. While stuck at home during the ECQ, I started making home-cooked meals. For my rice, I experimented with the “miracle” carb, aka shirataki rice. I liked that it was portioned for about 200-250 grams, which I thought was perfect for filling me up every meal, but I wasn’t happy about the cravings that I had after that. I also didn’t feel that I was getting enough nutrients or fiber.
When I felt that I wanted something a little more nutritious, I subscribed to a meal plan. I loved the delicious meals, but the problem I had was that I felt that I wasn’t in total control of what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat.
I ended up gaining weight since I would eat even beyond the meals sent to me. Hence, my search for cauliflower rice. I thought that it would be perfect because I’d be able to cut down on calories, incorporate more vegetables into my diet, get more fiber, and have full control over my eating schedule and meal portions.
I found that there was some imported cauliflower rice being sold online by bigger brands. I ordered, but they did not taste fresh, so I opted to make my own home. I loved it and shared some with my friends and family who were too busy to make their own cauliflower rice. I raved about my cauliflower rice so much that my friends started calling me “Caulibabe.” As my friends started asking for more of my cauliflower rice, I began selling, and Caulibabe was born.
How has cauliflower rice made an impact on your life?
The product and brand were founded without the intent to start a business—it was developed at first to meet my personal needs purely.
It’s convenient. I pre-portioned the cauliflower rice per meal so that it is easy for me to defrost and prepare.
As a rice alternative, I have it every day now. I love rice, and I hate having to cut down just to minimize the calories. With cauliflower rice, I can enjoy my usual one to two cups of rice with just a fraction of the usual calories. Also, I feel full for longer, so I don’t munch as much as I used to when I would have shirataki rice. I also like that I’m in full control of my eating portions and meal schedule, so it’s definitely easy to incorporate into my lifestyle. It’s full of nutrients too.
On personal impact, I am happy to say that I am living a much healthier and balanced lifestyle, so I feel great inside and out.
What’s been the best compliment you’ve received about Caulibabe so far?
We have clients that give feedback even without us asking for any. They say that it’s delicious, and they send images of their meals with Caulibabe cauliflower rice. We have supporters that re-purchase regularly, and they say that our pre-portioned cauliflower rice has played a great impact on their fitness journey. Some even giving us credit for their weight loss.
This means a lot to me because I know what it’s like to struggle when you want to lose weight and cut down on carbs. I’m glad that the cauliflower rice packs have been helpful, filling, and nutritious to our customers. I love that knowledge about cauliflower rice is slowly taking shape here in the Philippines.
What have been the challenges you’ve encountered during this time?
We have opportunities that we had to put on hold for now strategically. We purposely keep our operations on a smaller scale to ensure safety and quality measures.
What makes it exciting to be an entrepreneur despite the situation?
As a female entrepreneur, online selling has paved the way for me to share Caulibabe’s pre-portioned cauliflower rice to support everyone’s journey towards a healthier lifestyle.