Anything Pinoy

The story behind the success of Rosa Foods, a pioneering processed food producer in Aklan specializing in meat products, is one inspiring tale which could motivate every Aklanon and every Filipino not to hesitate in starting small in business – because there are rewards to reap if you have discipline, perseverance, industry and love of work.

Rosa Foods, according to Rosita “Rose” Sauza was established in the early 1980s out of her need to “stretch” her money while on her annual vacation in Aklan to attend the Kalibo Ati-atihan Festival, so that she will still have fare money when she goes back to her job as a government employee in Manila.

“Every year, I come home to Kalibo in time for the Ati-atihan Festival to take a month-long vacation. As a government employee, I lived on a very tight budget – my salary then was just enough to make both ends meet – and during vacation time, I have to be very careful in spending lest I will have no more fare to Manila,” Rose told the participants during DTI’s recent launching of the ARISE (A Responsive and Innovative Strategy for Entrepreneurship) program in Aklan, a program of the agency to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to start a business.

During one such vacation, Rose felt the need to “stretch’ her fare money and pondered on what to do to make her money revolve and earn for the time being.

Luckily, Rose had a sister who knows something about meat processing. Their luck was augmented with cooking utensils left by a vacationing in-law who also had a knack in processing food, especially meat.

Combined with her sister’s knowledge on meat processing and hers too, which she learned earlier during her attendance in seminars offered by the National Youth and Manpower Center (NMYC) which later became the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Rose started her foray in business with a P200.00 capital.

“Pork meat then only cost P30.00 pesos, so we spent P150 for meat, and the rest, for ingredients and the intestines we used for our longganiza,” Rose said.

They did everything manual initially, although the pork meat was grounded free in the market by the seller himself. The final stage of preparing the longganiza – smoking – they did by using a drum with glowing charcoals at the bottom.

Rose said they first offered their processed meat products to their friends, neighbors and relatives. Eventually, they made regular deliveries to customers at the Municipal Trial Court (MTC) in Kalibo, who generally commented on their delicious-smelling smoked products.

In one to two months, demand for their product picked up, up to the time when they noticed that they had to produce more longganizas to meet the needs of those who wanted their products on a regular basis – and to give to friends and relatives too. It came to a point when longganizas out of a hundred kilo pork could not sustain a day’s demand from customers.

When Rose went back to her job in Manila, she did means to make the business grow and improve further. She attended seminars on business and food processing. The business was a family activity – everybody helped – and up to that time, they did not think of borrowing from individuals or banks for additional capital.

“Whatever income we had was revolved, added to the capital. We did not have any luxurious spending,” Rose said.

They however felt the need to give their products a longer shelf life, so they invested on a freezer on a “hulugan” basis. Later, they also saw the need of having a vehicle to use during deliveries, so they also obtained a tricycle on a “hulugan” basis too.

Eventually, after working for 15 years as a government employee, Rose resigned from her job, to give Rosa Foods her full attention.

In 1995, she had the chance to coordinate with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and obtained product counseling, availed of trainings on product development, 5s and many others, which she applied in her industry.

Rose said she got many inputs and advices from DTI – she was able to observe the best practices of other businesses, obtained pointers in increasing productivity and efficiency of workers, and in coming up with a standard work area and the establishment of good manufacturing services.

In 2000, Rosa Foods finally decided to obtain a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) with a low interest. This was to be able to put up further improvements in the work and display area of the establishment’s food processing plant. Rosa Foods has a stable market already, and it has savings too so paying for the loan will not be very hard.

Today, Rosa Foods stands tall in Aklan. Its products, which are highly in-demand, have evolved to various classifications, tastes and items. Besides the pioneering pork longganiza, today, it also produces chicken longganiza, pork tocino, chicken tocino, foot-long longganiza, chicharon, and other meat-based processed foods.

Its production area in Linabuan Norte, Kalibo, Aklan, which also serves as its display center, also helps other thriving entrepreneurs of the province by accommodating and displaying their “pasalubong’ products like camote and banana chips, piaya, barquiron, barquillos, pickled ampalaya, processed bagoon, and many others. So when buyers flocked to the display center, chances are they would not only buy Rosa Foods’ products, but also those of these entrepreneurs.

It has existing outlets in Iloilo malls, in Boracay Island, in Roxas City, at the Kalibo Wet Market as well as in grocery stores in Aklan’s capital town, and in Antique. It has institutionalized buyers in these places – in hotels, hospitals, resorts, markets.

Rose said Rosa Food products reach as far as Mindanao, Palawan, Bacolod and Manila. They are not keen, however, in putting up outlets in Manila because of the high cost of transportation. Products reach Manila and other far places because people from Aklan or visitors to the province bring the prized goods when they go back to their jobs or their homes.

Rosa Foods’ existence in the community has helped a lot. Neighbors, friends, relatives and their children find work in the processing plant as well as in various outlets in and outside the province.

“Rosa Foods is our livelihood. It also helps us send our nieces and nephews to school,” the unmarried Rose related.

Meat retailers and wholesalers have their sure market with Rosa Foods, buying in bulk for its daily processing activities.

Because of Rosa Foods’ collaboration with other government agencies which enabled it to obtain good marketing and sanitary production practices, it was awarded for two straight years by the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC) as the Best Meat Processing Plant in Western Visayas.

After more than 20 years of existence starting with a P200.00 capital, Rosa Foods has come a long way, its name synonymous with mouth-watering and affordable meat products.

Rosa Foods is a living success story of starting a small business with guts and determination, eventually coming out as a landmark enterprise in the community.

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs during this trying times with the gripping global financial crisis?

“You need not start big. Identify the needs of the people around you, identify your customers, develop your products, and grab the opportunity. Even during crisis, there are opportunities”, Rose said.