Kumain ka na ba?” (Have you eaten?)
We, Filipinos, never fail to ask this of guests in our house, it
is almost like a greeting. Indeed, food has been ingrained in our
culture.
From the lechon being star of the town fiesta, to coffee shops
and restaurants being the preferred meeting spot for friends and family,
there’s no doubt that Filipinos love to eat. This is probably also why
food businesses have become lucrative in the country.
However, starting them is not all a piece of cake. As with any
business venture, there is always risk of losing whatever capital you’ve
put in due to the changing tastes of customers.
Then, there are those big, established names in the local food
world always threatening to take your patrons away. This is exactly why
franchising is the less risky way of gaining big success in the food
service business.
Three Filipino food franchises, all members of the Association of
Filipino Franchisers Inc., (AFFI) share their journey to make it in the
business.
These food franchises will join other original Filipino
franchises in ”Galing Ng Pinoy,” the 11th Filipino Franchise Show
slated on Oct. 12 to 14 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
Sweet Corner: Idea to help
For food cart Sweet Corner, success is as gold as ears of corn.
Started by Voltaire Magpayo in 2009, the business specializes in
food products derived from corn such as corn cobs, shredded corn in a
cup, popcorn, and sweet corn shakes. Interesting to note is that the
company, now with 65 outlets nationwide, started as a way to help
farmers in Mindanao.
“One time, when we had our vacation in South Cotabato, The Corn
Capital of the Philippines, I was able to talk to a president of a corn
cooperative. He confessed that they were being manipulated by the
traders, assemblers and middle men since they have no accessibility to
end-consumers,” says Magpayo. “Hence, I offered them an alternative
market since we were thinking at that time of putting up our own cart,
thus, Sweet Corner was born as market option for them.”
Magpayo takes pride in the use of organic corn for all of their
products. “What makes our corn different from an ordinary corn or
competitors, our corn is all natural, ripened by nature and picked by
bare hands, hence, our customers can be assured of a fresh and
nutritious snack food or side dish,” he enthuses.
Magpayo says a Sweet Corner franchise package costs P230,000,
inclusive of standard cart, equipment, utensils, small wares, crew
uniform, CGL insurance, training, marketing and site assistance, use of
trade name and logo, initial inventory, operations manual, and
assistance to secure business permit.”
He says the secret to his franchise’s success is his passion for
his product as well as analyzing beforehand what steps to take before
starting his business. “Look at your finances if it can put up the
business or sustain it at the early stage. If capital is still
inadequate, then save. Work and save at least 30 percent of your pay
like what we did,” he advises.
Bubbatealicious: Pearls to cash
Meanwhile, for tea-lover Gilbert Jim, pursuing his food business dream was clear. There was no need to read tea leaves.
“We started the business in 2008, but the concept for it came way
before,” he expounds. “I grew up in a tea-loving family, but wondered
how come tea, despite its many health benefits, wasn’t so popular in the
Philippines.”
Jim sought a way to make quality tea more palatable to the
average Filipino. The answer came to him in a vacation abroad. “I went
overseas and started noticing lots of young people lining up at bubble
tea joints. Immediately, I thought this could be the best way to
introduce tea drinking to the youth,” he adds.
Unlike most businesses that start out with only one branch,
growing into a possible empire, Jim already started with 10 outlets of
his stall. “My point then was to advocate tea drinking. I admit it was
hard in the beginning. I basically had to train my staff to appreciate
tea as well,” he says. “Passion for what I do was and will always be so
important, though.”
Jim admits that in the beginning, his business didn’t take off as
much as he’d thought it would but that his perseverance paid off around
2010.
“Persistence, I think, is one of the biggest keys in success for
any business. Just continue to be passionate for what you do and it will
pay off in the end,” he enthuses.
The Bubbatealicious franchise package costs P350,000.00 and is
inclusive of standard cart, equipment and utensils, office supplies and
cleaning materials, initial inventory and consumables, personnel
training service, site evaluation assistance, central purchasing, and
opening assistance.
Jim also owns Shanghai Siomai. Started in 2007, the business sort of took Jim back to his childhood.
“My mother had a siomai business when I was growing up, so I
already know how it works when I started the business,” he explains.
He says that his experience with Shanghai Siomai helped him establish Bubbatealicious.
“Definitely, because I already have an existing business, in a
way, running Bubbatealicious is less confusing,” Jim expounds. “I
already have an idea on what to do with the business, more or less.”
Despite the low price point of his products, the one thing Mr. Jim can never sacrifice is quality.
“I believe that just because your products are cheaper it does
not have to equate to not having standards. The one thing I’m proud of
in both Shanghai Siomai and Bubbatealicious is that we use good
ingredients.”
The 11th Filipino Franchise Show on Oct. 12-14, at the World
Trade Center in Pasay City is the country’s biggest franchise show will
provide a platform for Filipino entrepreneurs who wish to engage in
micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) and learn about a wide array
of Filipino franchise investment opportunities from food, retail, and
service industries.
Source: http://business.inquirer.net/. View original post here
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