👀 A gummy… made with duck embryo? Not quite. Earlier today, our co-founder Lisa Angulo Reid shared the real story behind our April Fool’s campaign featuring the world’s first (fake) Balut Gummy. What started as an April Fools campaign sparked something more: reflection, conversation, and a whole lot of cultural pride. After all, food is identity. Food is protest. Food is joy. And sometimes, food is a gummy — even if it’s not real. Tap into the convo and read Lisa's post below 👇 #DearFlor #ComfortNotCringe #FilipinoFood #AprilFoolsButMakeItCultural
Today, we launched the world’s first Balut Gummy. Duck. Yolk. Peeler-style. Total chaos. Nope, it’s not real. It’s our unhinged April Fool’s campaign for 2025. But behind the campaign is something very real. Balut is a beloved Filipino street food: a fertilized duck egg, boiled and eaten warm with salt and a splash of vinegar. For many, it’s a beloved comfort food. However, it’s been treated as a spectacle and reduced to “gross-out” content on shows like Fear Factor, where it was served up for shock value and ratings. I loved balut growing up, but it was never something that I would eat in front of non-Filipinos. When we started Dear Flor, we made the choice to lead with Filipino flavors. But doing that doesn’t mean just sharing the ones that are cute and easy to export (ube, calamansi, hello!). It means sharing the ones that are unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable. The ones that carry memory, shame, and pride — all at once. So this year, we introduced balut as a gummy. They're not for sale (Dear Flor gummies are still vegan, so no duck embryo in your edibles), but to spark a conversation and ask why certain foods are “exotic” or “gross,” while others are plated at fine dining restaurants. The response so far has been thoughtful, curious, and funny. We’ve had thousands of views on TikTok and Instagram Reels, commentary on Reddit, and some really meaningful notes in our inbox. It hasn’t gone viral, but it’s resonating. Look, even though the Balut Gummy isn’t real, the feelings behind it are. Thanks to everyone who leaned in. And if you’re just catching up, welcome to the weirdest, most meaningful April 1st on the internet. #CulturalPride #ComfortNotCringe #DearFlor #AprilFoolsButMakeItCultural #AprilFools #Marketing
