Cebuano inventor Pete Delantar paved the way for a greener export industry
PASAY CITY, Philippines (March 13, 2014) – Filipino craftsmanship and ingenuity takes center stage once again at the 59th edition of Manila FAME, a biannual design and lifestyle event happening at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City on March 14 to 17, 2014.
At the forefront of eco-sustainable brands is Cebu-based furniture exporter Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc. (www.natureslegacy.com). Known for its green innovation, Nature’s Legacy is the brainchild of husband and wife tandem Pete and Catherine Delantar, whose successful collaboration since 1996 catapulted their company’s rise as a world-class Filipino brand specializing in eco-art products.
Nature’s Legacy material innovations are used the world over in creating a variety of products such as occasional furniture, home accessories, lawn and garden, architecture and interior design, packaging and fashion accessories. The company is well known for Naturescast®, a line of natural scrap materials like fallen debris and twigs and other agro-forest waste treated with proprietary odorless water-based binders and outdoor resistant coatings. Nature’s Legacy flagship products are chairs made of recycled mango seeds that have been featured in a recent Grammy Awards event in California.
Naturescast® paved the way for Pete’s invitation to be a founding member of Sustainable Furniture Council, a US-based nonprofit balanced coalition of industry players promoting sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. He is the first and only Filipino founding member at SFC.
Backyard business to world-class exporter
It was not an easy journey for the couple who started out Nature’s Legacy as a backyard business in Compostela town in Cebu province. But with Cathy’s vision and audacious ideas and Pete’s sound innovations, they have executed pioneering product developments resulting in breakthrough designs and processes.
“Being green from start to finish entails a lot of tweaking and testing, not only in creating the product itself but also other relevant aspects like energy saving programs in the company, carbon footprint measurement, recycling, water conservation, and community development, making sure the raw material being used are sustainable, and many other things,” says Pete.
Nature’s Legacy now owns patent and copyright in the US, Europe, Philippines, Vietnam and China of the following product lines: engineered Stonecast material Brauncast®, handmade polymer and polyester resins line called Marmorcast®, and recycled paper material NuCast®.
Nature’s Legacy has today grown to 120 employees, with a showroom at Mandaue City and clients in over 25 countries in Asia, Europe, and Middle East, including Turkey,Russia, Poland, India , Spain, Greece, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.A.. The proudly Filipino-made products are available at high-end home stores in the US and Europe such as West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Neiman Marcus. Locally they are available at Rustan’s ,Echostore and Kultura.
Top representative at New York’s furniture fair in May 2014
With its reputation as one of the prime movers in the stone casting industry and eco-arts, Nature’s Legacy is named one of only 15 Philippine companies included in the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City in May 2014 and organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM).
“It’s really an honor to be part of the ICFF in New York as only the best products and extraordinary companies are able to pass the selection process,” says Pete.
The couple also received the 34th Agora Awards Marketing Excellence given by the Philippine Marketing Association in 2013, Environment-Friendly Entrepreneur of the Year by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Excellence in Ecology and Economy (E3) Award by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2007. The couple was included in the list of finalists at the 2005 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and received the 2004 Golden Shell Award for Excellence in Design and Manufacturing, among other achievements.
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About Pete Delantar
Pedro “Pete” Herrera Delantar Jr. is the president and chief executive officer of Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc., a world-class furniture and furnishing exporter based in Cebu City, Philippines. A respected inventor with patents in the US, Europe, Philippines, Vietnam and China,Pete was recognized as a finalist at the 2005 National Invention Contest and a Winner during the Regional Inventions Contest organized by the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
Naturescast®, which is one of his later inventions in collaboration with his wife Cathy, was what caught the attention of the Sustainable Furniture Council, a US-based non-profit balanced coalition of industry players created to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. He is the first and only Filipino invited to be one of the founding members of SFC.
Aside from being a businessman, designer, an inventor, and environmentalist, Pete is also a social entrepreneur. He is director of their own corporate foundation, Nature’s Legacy Foundation, which received the 2007 Child-Friendly Organization Award given by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), International Labor Organization (ILO), and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Nature’s Legacy has often been cited by international institutions such as the ILO, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the German Development Service (DED) for best environment and corporate social responsibility practices. He is also very involved with the Rotary Club of Cebu and is a member of the Sword and Fire in the Spirit Charismatic Community.
Pete received training at the Stanford University through its Business Executive course; the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) – Asian Center for Entrepreneurship through its various executive programs; the University of Asia and the Pacific through its Strategic Business Economic Program (MBA Course); and the Cebu Institute of Technology where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. He completed his training on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) 101 Program: Getting Started with Green, by the US Green Building Council, in preparation for his LEED professional accreditation.
He is the President of the Cebu GTH (Gift Toys and Housewares) Foundation,Inc and member of the Cebu Furnitutre Industries Foundation , Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. He is also a member of the Filipino Inventors Society and the Visayan Inventors Association, and the Rotary Club of Cebu.
About Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc.
The company was named Nature’s Legacy (www.natureslegacy.com) because of the very nature of its design policy, which is to incorporate locally abundant raw materials into our product design, using its natural aesthetic values, while ensuring that these raw materials are responsibly sourced with careful consideration of the environment.
Indigenous materials such as local stone, dead shrubs, and fallen twigs and branches are processed and combined with other mix media using fully integrated manufacturing methods to produce original innovative designs which are executed with superior quality craftsmanship that have been very well received in the world market.
The company continues to diversify its product lines to expand its business through continuous improvement of its production process, responsible use of natural materials, and product quality. In recognition of its revolutionary design approach, Nature’s Legacy was a recipient of the Golden Shell Award for excellence in Design and Manufacturing in December 2004, which was personally awarded by Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Since 1996, the company has remained committed to its vision of becoming “a global leader in the home furniture and accessories industry founded on its core values of integrity and competence,” with strategic focus on customer satisfaction, corporate social responsibility and commitment to the total human development of its workforce.
About Manila FAME
Manila FAME (www.manilafame.com) is the country’s premier trade platform for exports and design, providing opportunities for small and medium scale entrepreneurs to showcase their products in the world market. Manila FAME is one of the longest running trade shows in the Asia-Pacific, featuring the latest Philippine-made creations from artisans and manufacturers and is the only trade event in the country approved by UFI (www.ufi.org), the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.
The biannual event is organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade Industry (DTI).
