Buwad: The stinky money maker

If one thinks of Cebu, what usually comes to mind are Sinulog, otap, ampaw, and many more and the best thing is the sun-dried salted fish commonly known as buwad.

The best place to look for a wide variety of quality dried fish is at the Tabo-an market, a place where you can see all sorts of variety of dried fish from the tiniest to the largest dried fish.

Max Anthony “Bebot” Enriquez, 55 and Carmelita Batad Enriquez, 53 both from Bantayan Island are into dried fish business since 1985. Bebot used to work for Philippine Airlines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport but the thought of being far from his family made him decide to go back to Cebu and establish a business.

With an investment capital of P1,500 they continue what both their parents had started, selling dried fish to different places such as Doong Island in Bantayan, Tabuelan, some parts of Negros Occidental, Masbate, and Mindanao area.

When they had enough capital, the couple decided to set up Lita’s Dried Fish store at Tres de Abril St., Tabo-an, Cebu City. This has been a family business now that caters to local and international tourists, balikbayans and businessmen.

The varieties of dried fish they sell includes pusit (squid) at P580/kl., boneless danggit at P480/kl., fish tapa at P280/kl., fish tocino at P380/kl., boneless dilis at P420/kl., tarorot(squid) at P480/kl., and other goods such as dried mangoes, otap and peanut kisses. Most of their products are from Bantayan Island and Masbate wherein they can have a P20- P30 margin of income per kilo.

Since Bebot already has regular customers from Mindanao and other parts of Cebu, he plans to soon expand his business to cater the growing demand.

Carmelita said that snatchers in the area used to affect their sales because customers feared coming over. However, the problem has been solved when all of the store owners organized TDFA – Taboan Dried Fish Dealer Association – that aims to maintain peace and order in the area for a smooth flow of their business.

“Kung ka-antos ka sa baho sa buwad, hala sige sulod,” (If you can stand against the smell of the dried fish, invest) Bebot said as his message for those who aspire to venture into this kind of business. “To stay in the business one should persevere and be thrifty,” he added.