Sweet Solutions to hunger pangs

MANILA, Philippines - “Sweet Solutions offers quite a variety of fare, from our own cakes, pastries and bread, to coffee and tea drinks and other meals,” says one of its owners, Leonora Fajutagana. “A good number of our customers come for the cakes because moist cakes are not easy to come by in this area.”

The company earned popularity within Imus, Cavite and nearby towns for its beautifully crafted specialty cakes for all occasions like weddings, baptismal, birthdays, baby shower and debuts. Customers also come back for their mini cakes, cupcakes, éclairs, croissants, cream puffs, silvanas, ensaymadas, chocolate crinkles and empanadas.

All-occasion cake suppliers are not a rarity. The Internet will spew a good number of social networking site pages that advertise such business. But not all of them were legalized into a corporation like Sweet Solutions.

 “In 2005 my brother Leo, who is based in the U.S., wanted to explore business ventures here. He was thinking of putting up a coco jam factory or barbecue stand when he met a baker who just quit his job at a restaurant,” says Leonora. 

Leo was smitten by the baker’s delicious empanada and brownies which convinced him to open up a bake shop.  

“Initially the business is a partnership with a friend but Leo decided to turn it into a corporation in order to give the bakers and other members of the team a chance to own part of the business,” adds Leonora.

Leo believes that the heart of every business is in providing a solution, hence the name Sweet Solutions.

Leo Fajutagana overseas his aces of cakes staff while they decorate a three-layer fondant cake.

He and wife Beth’s residential property in Bayan Luma, Imus Cavite initially served as the main production site, commissary and shop. After three months, they decided to rent a space for the shop in Poblacion where the area is more commercialized.

In 2008, the company decided to expand the business by adding coffee and tea drinks in their menu.

“We considered several banks before we finally decided on Plantersbank, primarily because it caters to the SMEs and makes it easy and simple for us to take out a loan,” explains Leonora. “Other banks make the process quite long and complicated. The best thing about doing business with Plantersbank is its all-out support for its clients.”    

For Sweet Solutions owners, the first years of operation were both an exciting and tentative period. The slightest improvement in sales and even minor positive feedback helped boost their morale. To generate exposure they actively pursued partnerships with caterers, events planners, restaurants and hotels, and participated in bazaars, exhibits and other relevant events. The company started to realize profits when they diversified into a coffee shop about two years after starting the business.

For more information, call (046) 471-7720 or 0917-5510888 or log on to www.sweetsolutionsbakeshop.com.

Sweet Solutions is located at Simeona St., Vilma Subdivision, Bayan Luma in Imus, Cavite.