A boxful of healthy

Bibo Moreno and Chime Bosabel deliver farm-to-table goodness

By Deneb Batucan

HEALTH and wellness are two things that are of utmost importance for Bibo Moreno and Chime Bosabel. Bibo, a chef and entrepreneur, and Chime, a learning and development specialist at a BPO company, first found their love for healthy organic food during their weekly weekend getaways to Bibo’s hometown in Aloguinsan.

“Whenever we visit their place, Bibo and his mom would normally prepare healthy sets of dishes for us. I was amazed that they get their ingredients straight form their mini farm or from Aloguinsan’s community organic farm,” said Chime.

Like most people do today, the two foodies took photos of the dishes prepared by Bibo and his mom and posted it on social media. This sparked the interest of their city friends. Bibo and Chime started to bring the healthy dishes back to Cebu to share to their friends. Eventually, the number of people slowly grew, and the demand for Bibo’s cooking sky-rocketed. The two then thought of turning it into a business. What started as a “healthy pasalubong” blossomed into an online store that’s fit for any health and diet enthusiast.

Right portions

Bibo and Chime are the proprietors of Diet in a Box, an online food delivery service that caters to people who want healthy and portioned food options right at their doorstep. The business started only last March. Bibo takes care of the kitchen where he has four cooks under his team. He plans the menu, which they change every week, and leads the harvesting and ingredient selection. His most tedious task is setting up the calorie intake of each client, which requires a lot of care and time since each customer has a different required calorie count.

Chime is in charge of their deployment team, with five delivery men under him. He also takes charge of marketing, sourcing and customer relations. He is also assigned to calculate each client’s body mass index (BMI) to figure out what required calorie intake is fit for them.

The two work hand in hand in building their growing business. Using top ingredients is important for them because they want to serve fresh and scrumptious dishes to their customers. Aside from Bibo’s mini farm and the community farm project in Aloguinsan, they also have organic suppliers in Balamban and Talamban. Their ingredients are all locally sourced.

Above all, Bibo and Chime aim to promote good health for every Cebuano. “When we’re talking of good health, it is not just about a healthy body but also about sound mental health. Good health is when both body and mind are functioning properly,” said Chime. “The thing I love about the business is that I get to do what I love and share my passion through good food. At the same time, I’m helping people know about the importance of organic eating,” said Bibo.

Shared passion

Aside from their business, Chime and Bibo have varied interests. Being in the corporate world, Chime is into global leadership – he facilitates workshops for corporate leaders. While for Bibo, interior design and painting are his go-to hobbies.

But even with their differences, the two have a shared passion for healthy and organic eating. “Diet and exercise – those are the two words we hear every day in our battle to lose weight and stay healthy.

Discipline and strong purpose of (accomplishing your) goals is important. Others eat more than what they’re supposed to. Others don’t even find value in exercise. They lose their purpose as to why they’re changing their lifestyle to begin with,” Chime shared.

This is why Bibo always puts into mind their clientele’s varied tastes to encourage them to stay on the healthy side. “We tailor-fit our menu based on the customer’s needs and preferences. We cater to their ‘what matters’ since diet meals should be convenient to their taste buds, too, and not be labeled as boring diet meals,” said Bibo.

“World domination,” Chime joked when asked what’s next for Diet in a Box. “Our purpose is to influence every single Cebuano to switch to a healthier lifestyle.” Chime and Bibo make it a point to create bridges with corporate companies to be an avenue for education for their employees to learn about the benefits of healthy eating. They also partner with yoga hubs and attend pop ups to be more visible in the city. “We aspire to be a household name in terms of healthy eating options,” said Chime.

Photos: Alfred Gregory E. Bartolome