‘It had to take someone to die…’

I came across an interesting story while our Business & Leisure roving production staff was searching for possible candidates for our regular segment, Proud Pinoy Entrepreneur.

If you’re familiar with Sitsirya Pasalubong, those stores selling brightly-colored boxes of familiar Pinoy delicacies which are popular pasalubongs, perhaps you have met the proprietors, Ofrace and Era Ocampo. The couple are graduates of the University of the Philippines. Era graduated with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, while Ofrace became a pharmacist. Both were gainfully employed 30 years ago, but unfortunately, both lost their jobs and were unemployed for about seven months, quite desperate to earn.

Right about that time, Era’s father passed away, and with the old respected tradition of Filipinos giving “abuloy” to the dead man’s family, Era and Ofrace found an opportunity.  They “borrowed” the modest fund from Era’s deceased dad and with the family’s permission, they used this small capital to start a home-based business selling pasalubongs. The idea of making business out of pasalubongs was born out of their young children’s looking forward to a pasalubong whenever they got home. As Ofrace gratefully said, “it had to take someone to die so they could live.”

Ofrace lived with four Titas when he was a young boy, all of them Kapampangans who knew how to cook and make kakanin, and it was a natural progression for Ofrace to learn how to make ube haleya and other native eats from them.

So with a small table filled with kakanin, Era and Ofrace were officially in business. They realized, though, the business would not prosper on kakanin alone, which were labor-intensive and took so much time to prepare,  so they started sourcing other products to sell, delicacies from different towns and provinces that Manila people did not get to taste.

Era loved to travel to different provinces, and together with Ofrace, they had fun exploring and discovering new delicacies to bring home to Manila, forging new partnerships with those in the countryside who made the delicacies, helping them market their goods in Manila.

The first step was to ensure the quality of the products and improve on the packaging, because by then they were already primed for their own space outside of the home.  They rented a stall space at Save & Save in Buendia, Makati, but as fate would have it,  the building burned down. The owners allowed them to sell at the parking area temporarily, so it was still business as usual for the couple until Ofrace found another space for rent.  He credits Robinson’s Place in Manila for giving them their first real break, and with this, the Ocampo couple went on to build their modest empire of Pinoy pasalubongs.  Although they started it 30 years ago, it was only 15 years later that Sitsirya Pasalubong, the brand, was born.

The World Trade Business Center invited them to join one of their exhibits because of the attractive packaging of the products they carry, the only authentic Filipino pasalubong stall in the exhibit.  This was another turning point for them as many exhibit goers noticed their products.  A local magazine also ran a special feature on them, and they got invited to rent stalls in other big malls like SM.

In the recent APEC meet hosted by the Philippines, Sitsirya Pasalubong was also among the selected few enterprises invited to participate, perhaps because their products served best to add the local color representative of Filipino traditions the big event needed. Their participation in the APEC meet is one of the highlights of the Sitsirya saga because it showcased their brand as a truly and proudly Pinoy.

Today, Sitsirya Pasalubong can be found in any big mall in Metro Manila. Ofrace and Era already have 15 company-owned stores, and they are now contemplating on going out of Manila to conquer the big cities to expand their business. They have over 40 employees now, all of them personally recommended to them. Ofrace emphatically said they do not entertain walk-in applicants, perhaps for security reasons. Most of their employees come from the countryside, consistent with the couple’s advocacy, which is to support the small entrepreneurs, the start-ups who have good products but do not have the means or capability to market them.

What is also timely now is that the Ocampos are already on the way to franchising their brand, opening their doors to OFWs who would like to funnel their hard-earned savings to a viable business. The Sitsirya brand has been brought to foreign shores as it has become a favorite pasalubong of balikbayans. To the franchisees, they promise to go beyond the requisite training, offering close mentorship and membership in the big Sitsirya family.

To budding entrepreneurs, Ofrace says go for it, take the bold step but do your research well and avail of the professional services of the relevant government agencies that offer their help.  These agencies include the Department of Trade & Industry, Dept. of Science and Technology, and the Food and Drug Administration, among others.  For Era, she says being positive tops her list.  Also, preparing well and expecting the unexpected at all times. Plan way ahead, and keep planning.

Challenges are always part of any business, and for these two graduates of the University of the Philippines who grew up during the militant years in the university, giving up was never an option. They firmly believe that for every door that closes, a window opens to bring in the bright light of opportunities.  They are always grateful for the blessings of good business and are now paying this forward by helping other budding entrepreneurs.  Best of all, prayers are always a part of their daily lives.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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