Malabon Food and Gift Expo 2022 | Discover Malabon’s Best of the Best.

With Christmas just around the corner, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry Malabon (PCCI Malabon) is opening the city’s doors and inviting everyone to discover Malabon’s best of the best as it holds the first ever Malabon Food and Gift Expo 2022. The event is in partnership with the Local Government of Malabon with the support from Honorable Mayor Jeannie Sandoval.

Event starts tomorrow, Friday, November 18 until Saturday November 19 at the Malabon Sports Complex. As you explore the homegrown treasures of the city, you will be surprised to see how Malabon’s food business landscape is thriving - from local delicacies to food products as well as the value chain in the food industry from equipment, tools, packaging, and distribution network in the city.

Through this expo, PCCI Malabon is creating a platform to help push Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to grow and thrive. This is in line with the organization's vision to be the voice of business owners and entrepreneurs, and its mission to provide technical assistance through job matching, credit access and financial planning, and digital transformation in marketing.

According to PCCI Malabon President Elsie Chua, this expo is a testament to PCCI Malabon’s goal of fostering and positioning Malabon as the Philippines' primary food industry hub and leading supply chain through warehouse and distribution facilities.

“The Malabon Food and Gift Expo 2022 provides a platform for our Malabon MSMEs to showcase our products and services that are proudly ‘Made in Malabon.’ Being a businesswoman who slowly built Melawares 45 years ago, I firmly believe in the power of mentoring and the right support. Through projects like this expo, we are giving them the chance to grow so they too can thrive together with the homegrown Malabon business big brothers and sisters like Liwanag Candle, Rufina's Patis, Master Sardines, Dolor's Kakanin, Melawares or Remilly's Yema Cake,” Chua said.

The event is free admission to the public --- just present your government issued ID to register.

The two-day expo is filled with fun activities with learning and inspirational sessions. Virtually, you can also join the event through the live and interactive online selling on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PCCIMalabonInc.

To maximize the experience,  everyone is encouraged to join the expo onsite. Guests can look forward to various learning experiences such as the food safety program by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the credit access financing program by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Francorp Philippines will also be hosting a seminar on how to grow businesses through franchising.

To further ignite the passion from our MSMEs, Philippines esteemed entrepreneurs will share some inspiring talks to be led by Vice President of FFCCCII Cecilio Pedro of Founder and CEO, Lamoiyan Corporation and Mrs Natividad Cheng, Founder and CEO, Uratex and Ms. Tess Ngantian, Owner of Lotsa Pizza and AVP, PCCI National.

Guests can also watch out for a live cooking demonstration by celebrity Chef Myke “Tatung” Sarthou and learn how to create brand marketing from Mr. Ian John White Hyndman, Manager Partner of Dagaz Consultancy from Dubai, UAE.

Plan your itinerary tomorrow and on Saturday, and head over to the Malabon Food and Gift Expo 2022. Tara na, Masarap sa Malabon!

The expo was made possible by Platinum Sponsors Melawares / Max Ideas and Spring Oil; Gold Sponsors include CDO, Dolores Kakanin, Remilly Cake, Ni Hao Express, Jamicos, Eagle Food, and Fudsource, and; Silver sponsors Pares Ave, Universal Canning, Manila Cocktails, Longlife, and Ideal Spaghetti.

Perk Up Coffee & Tea: A success story amid a pandemic.

Running a business in the middle of a pandemic isn’t for the faint-hearted. With the restrictions and restless consumers, entrepreneurs have to be quick on their feet to survive much less make a profit. This didn’t stop 24-year-old Pam Jacobe from establishing her ready-to-drink brand Perk Up Coffee & Tea. 

 A business administration graduate of Mapúa University, Jacobe always dreamed of having a coffee farm and shop. She studied it in-depth and started selling coffee grounds and beans in 2019.

Months before the pandemic, she rebranded and changed her products to bottled coffee and tea lattes after noticing a gap in the market. “I saw an opportunity and joined the #CafeAtHome movement which encourages people to bring home the cafe experience. Friends and former colleagues supported my business, and it started to gain traction,” Jacobe recalled.

Pamela Maris M. Jacobe, founder and owner of Perk Up Coffee & Tea.

To connect with customers, she relied on social media advertising and word-of-mouth marketing. “The pandemic made people more supportive of micro-, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), specifically small online businesses. I grabbed that opportunity and dedicated my time on digital marketing strategies,” the youthful entrepreneur explained.

But the real catalysts of Perk Up Coffee and Tea’s success were its compelling advocacies and quality products. Aside from helping customers recreate a coffee shop experience at home, it imparts a strong sense of community with the causes it advocates.

Jacobe explained that Perk Up’s main advocacy is being environment-friendly, so all drinks are served in reusable glass bottles and eco-bags. “I want to make sure that my brand is doing its part to lessen plastic wastes. Imagine the hundreds of drinks I sell in one month. If I use plastic bottles, that’s already 100 plastic bottles gone to waste.”

1 liter bottle of French Vanilla latte.

From L-R: Strawberries and Cream, Spanish Vanilla Latte,
Cold Brew Concentrate.

She naturally advocates the exquisite taste and variety of Philippine coffee, and uses locally-sourced teas. One of which is the Kalinga Robusta dark roast beans which she uses because its low acidity, and nutty and earthy notes. It’s best tasted in her best-selling caffeinated Cold Brew Concentrate and French Vanilla Latte. While her Strawberries & Cream and Hazelnut Chocolate are caffeine-free hits.

While business has been brisk, there were times when she was met with people’s doubts. Instead of being discouraged, Pam used these obstacles to refocus on her purpose and goal.

She gives credit to her college education for preparing her for the challenging road ahead. “I will always be grateful for the holistic education that I received from Mapúa. They trained us not just to be employees, but to be leaders and trailblazers in whatever industry we chose. Mapúa taught me to be diligent, strive for excellence, and never settle for ‘half-baked’ results,” she explained.

Jacobe was trained to pursue continuous learning and improvement. It’s no wonder that she is doing research and development on non-dairy options and new flavors to expand her product line. She also encourages other aspiring entrepreneurs to take the big leap.

“Don’t be afraid to start from nothing. Enjoy the fact that you’re literally starting from the bottom and have nothing to lose if you try. Your dreams are planted in your heart for a reason. You owe it to yourself to give it a try.”

Signs of Happiness | Coca-Cola's 5by20 Campaign.

If you've been wondering why I have not been blogging very often these days, it's because I'm pretty busy (too busy) with stuff at home. You see, my aunt, uncle, and cousins are home for the holidays. This is the first time they're celebrating Christmas here in the Philippines after they migrated to London ten years ago, and we (my siblings) want to spend as much time with them as possible. It may take awhile for this kind of reunion to happen again - after all, plane tickets don't come cheap.

Speaking of reunions, no party or family gathering would be complete without everybody's favorite drink - Coca Cola. When my cousins arrived last week, the first meal that they had were buckets of fried chicken from the local fast food chain (which they do not have in London), partnered with ice-cold bottles of Coke. Ah, happiness!

We never run out of Coke here at our place, as we have a sari-sari store in our compound. My aunt used to own that sari-sari store (which is now managed by my grandmother's relative), until she finally decided to go back to the nursing profession and try her luck in London. Back in the days, I would help my aunt tend the store by doing simple tasks like taking payments (bayad) and giving change (sukli). It was a lot of fun, and I think my people skills were actually honed by helping out in the store and attending to my aunt's loyal customers (suki).

And this is why Coca-Cola's latest video ad is close to my heart. In this video, Coca-Cola focuses on the power of women entrepreneurship, and how small businesses contribute to the growth of the community in more ways than one.

Take for instance Mercy's Sari Sari Store, which is not only a sari-sari store, but also a hangout for the local 'homecourt heroes'. (In my aunt's case, her sari-sari store is like the employees' lounge of the motor shop across the street.) There's also Elvira's Carinderia, which is not only a place for people to dine, but also a place for people to hang-out, spend time, and have fun with friends.

This video ad is part of Coca-Cola's 5by20 Campaign, which aims to empower women and help improve lives. Through 5by20, Coca-Cola aims to address the most common barriers to success that women face. This can be achieved by giving women entrepreneurs access to business skills training courses, financial services, and connections with peers or mentors.

Why 5by20, you might ask. It's because the goal is to empower 5 million women micro-entrepreneurs by the year 2020. Hence, 5by20.

5by20.

And with that, let us all continue to support every business woman out there - the way Coca-Cola does. Because when a woman owns a business, you can count on them to open happiness as well.

Click here to learn more about 5by20 Campaign.

*This is a sponsored post. Thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.