Raoul J. Chee Kee - Philstar.com
January 25, 2026 | 11:20am
MANILA, Philippines — Two decades since she started making her cheeses in Davao, Olive Puentespina can still talk avidly about her passion for dairy — goat cheeses, in particular. While she spends most of her waking moments tweaking and perfecting the cheeses sold under the brand Malagos Farmhouse, she also sets aside time some afternoons to lead intimate cheese-and-wine pairings at the shop.
During a recent visit, she regaled marketing department members of several Davao hotels with the story of how her natural inquisitiveness set her on a path few have taken.
Olive’s late husband, Roberto Jr., was a veterinarian who would often be given farm-fresh produce or young animals, including goats, as payment for his services. They named their first three goats Jolina, Marvin and Rica after three popular local celebrities at the time.
“I began thinking about what to do with the milk these goats produced. I attempted to sell the milk as is but it tends to spoil quickly so I tried making goat’s milk soap. Again, it didn’t click,” Olive said.
Pivot, pivot
By then, the goats were multiplying and she and her small team ended up tossing gallons of milk away. That’s when she considered making cheese because it didn’t spoil as quickly and it would be a chance to express her creativity.
“Filipinos then were not familiar with cheeses made with goat’s milk. What they knew about and were partial to was Kesong Puti, which is made with carabao’s milk.”
Olive then began learning and experimenting. She signed up for classes and seminars as far afield as the United States and Switzerland. She contacted her siblings based in the US, asking if they could shoulder her expenses including airfare, tuition and sometimes accommodations. “I vowed to them that if they would, then I would make them proud.”
Fast forward to the present and Olive has done more than that for her siblings who now expect her to come bearing some of her award-winning cheeses whenever she travels to the US. Malagos Farmhouse is now recognized for its range that includes the bestselling Mango Sublime, a soft chèvre in the French style but dotted with pieces of ripe mango harvested from Davao. “I prefer to describe it as done in Filipino-Davao style because I was the one who came up with it,” she said.
She also makes feta in olive oil, chèvre with rosemary, her version of gouda, and a deliciously pungent one that goes great with sliced fresh apples or dried fruit.
Learning curve
Olive recalled how she proved her Swiss teachers wrong when they told her she wouldn’t be able to make cheese given the high humidity in the Philippines.
“They didn’t know that I had learned to adapt to local conditions. Although I learned the basics from them, I tweaked the steps. When they saw and tasted the final product, they were amazed and told me, ‘Never copy. Do it your way, the Filipino way.’”
Olive smiled when she recounted this anecdote. “I should have told them, ‘Correction, it’s Olive’s way.’”
The entire time she was stoking her passion and learning as much as she could about cheese making, she had a husband and three kids who depended on her.
“When they were younger, I would perform my motherly and wifely duties but every chance I got — any free time I had — was spent in the work room. I’m really proud because my kids learned to figure things out for themselves. If they could do it on their own and with very little supervision, they would. They’re very proactive.”
At times when a parent’s counsel is sought, Olive is there to give her advice and help if needed.
Olive then recounted another story that is a core memory. “When my daughter Ingrid was around 11, she came to me and said, ‘Mom, I want to apply to be your apprentice.’
“She didn’t come out and say outright that she wanted to be a cheese maker; she knew it would take time. Ingrid had been watching all along, observing me as I went about my day so when I finally put her in front of a vat of milk and she began inspecting the curds using her gloved hands, I felt like crying. She was a natural.”
As a widow now with three almost-adult children, she has more time to tinker around in her workroom, creating cheeses that are served on Philippine Airlines’ long-haul business class flights, in restaurants and luxury hotels, and in the kitchens of cheese aficionados.
“I’ve learned that if you raise your children properly, they turn out independent. Now, we learn from each other,” Olive said.
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