More than a drink, this new calamansi cider by three Filipinas represe

Kumusta! Welcome to our calamansi story.

We are Fides, Grace and Jenny.

We are proud immigrant daughters born in the Philippines, and bred in the western suburbs of Melbourne. We are boss moms raising our nextgen Filipino-Aussies, and cheerleaders for calamansi, cider, culture, and community. From Pampanga, Bataan and Olongapo to our adopted Wurundjeri land, we bring our heritage to life empowered with the entrepreneurial and bayanihan spirit.

The Calamansi Story The Entree.Pinays Fides Mae Santos Grace Guinto Calamansi Cider Crush DV Cider House Marc Serafino

Grace and I are co-founders of the cultural advocacy group The Entree.Pinays, and online store Merkado by The Entree.Pinays. Our legacy project The Calamansi Story calls to action the possibility of Filipino cuisine, culture and community through the lens of calamansi. Filipinos are the fifth largest overseas-born migrant population in Australia, yet our cuisine and its unique flavours — such as the sweet and sour calamansi — remain largely unknown and underrepresented. This Philippine lime is undervalued in its abundance in the Motherland, yet so revered in its scarcity across the Filipino diaspora. The Entree.Pinays made it our mission to bring awareness to the value of the Filipino people and their produce. This humble and homegrown fruit has become our hero ingredient, analogy, and symbol of The Entree.Pinays’ advocacy.

The Entree.Pinays DV Cider Fides Mae Santos Jenny Abalos Maysie Lecciones Grace Guinto

Jenny has been a kindergarten school friend since our now teenage daughters were classmates. Following her cider-making journey led to an early conversation over Instagram back in July 2020. Two and a half years later, The Calamansi Story brought The Entree.Pinays (Grace, Maysie and I) to regional Victoria to explore the possibilities of producing a Calamansi Crush Cider with Darraweit Valley Cider House owned by Jenny with her partner, chief cider maker and chef, Marc Serafino.

DV Cider Marc Serafinos Jenny Abalos Calamansi Cider Crush

Established in the stunning valleys of the Macedon Ranges, DV Cider House was born out of a thirst for something different. And we're fully st'oaked Jenny and Marc welcomed the opportunity to create something new with us using calamansi, one that elevates the traditional cider experience and brings Jenny's Filipino heritage closer to their cider house livelihoods. Our partnership was honoured with the planting on site of two calamansi trees Grace and I purchased from a Footscray Market street vendor, captured in The Calamansi Story's short film co-produced with Erwan Heussaff of Featr Media.

Together, with a curious mind, open heart, and passion for making extraordinary happen with great people, we have brewed up the Calamansi Cider Crush. Unlike other beverages, Calamansi Cider Crush is made with the unique and vibrant flavours of calamansi, tied to our origin story of migration and provenance. The beloved Philippine lime was sourced directly from the Philippines by Fides and Grace, and in true DV Cider style, Marc, has blended it harmoniously with heritage cider apples grown by the family right in the heart of the Macedon Ranges to create a perfect balance of sweet and tangy. A delicious collaboration born in the Philippines, and crafted with love and care in regional Victoria.

Calamansi Cider Crush 4 Pack by Merkado by The Entree.Pinays and DV Cider House

By supporting Calamansi Cider Crush, you're not just enjoying a refreshing drink, but also empowering strong and inspiring women. The Calamansi Cider Crush is one chapter of The Calamansi Story, and an example of what's possible when advocacy meets enterprise, for the future of our cuisine, culture and community.

We're only just beginning.

We invite you to join us!