Marinduque
is also top of mind when it comes to arrowroot or uraro cookies. But
for a small island brimming with ingenious entrepreneurs in this
industry, how does one keep afloat?
“Business
does not only make you rich but it also makes you strong,
innovative, and persevering to leave a legacy that your children can
inherit in the future,” inspiring words from Mrs. Felisa Rey, owner
of Rey’s Bakeshop in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque.
Rey’s Bakeshop formerly
known as Josel Rodil’s Bakery was established in 1987 by Mrs. Josefa
Rodil. As a Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Rosil used to attend
different seminars, especially on food processing until she came up
with her version of arrowroot cookies. After her retirement in 1992,
the small home-based business moved into a separate bakery shop.
Their offer other pastries and bread aside from arrowroot cookies.
The business started with
two (2) full-time employees: Mrs. Felisa Pedernal-Rey (adopted child
of Mrs. Josefa Rodil) and her husband Mr. Rolando Rey who served as
the marketing arm and production staff of the business. What started
as a simple home business turned into one of the province’s all-time
favorites as they offer their cookies around Marinduque.
With the couple’s hard
work and perseverance, in 2014, Josel Rodil’s Bakery was transferred
to Mr. Rey and was then renamed Rey’s Bakeshop. The bakeshop was
able to support the needs of their family. It was in 2017 when their
daughter Ms. Eunice Rey quit her corporate job abroad and helped
them in managing the business.
As the industry gets more
saturated in time, the daughter, Eunice, decided to join the second
batch of the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Kapatid Mentor
Micro-Enterprise (KMME) program in 2018. KMME is a mentorship
program designed by DTI as a mini Masters in Business Administration
course, offered free for entrepreneurs to level up their businesses.
From then on, Rey’s
Bakeshop has been included in DTI’s different programs such as the
One Town, One Product (OTOP) where they availed free services such
as laboratory testing for Nutrition Facts, new label and packaging,
Trademark registration with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
and barcode registration to GS1 Philippines. She also joined local
trade fairs such as the Marinduque Expo and MIMAROPA Naturally,
among others. She participated as well in different DTI seminars
such as SGS Kaagapay sa Negosyo Program, Traceability, eCommerce,
and Good Manufacturing Practices and Sanitation Standard Operating
Procedure.
From a P200 starting
capital, its assets increased to P3 Million and its manpower grew
with ten (10) full-time and five (5) part-time employees. Its annual
sales of P100,000 also increased to P1.5 Million.
But as the business was
growing, it was in 2019 when the family faced one of, if not, the
biggest hurdle in their life with the passing of the late Mr.
Rolando Rey. Ms. Eunice took over the business with the supervision
of her mother.
With DTI’s assistance, Ms.
Eunice started to prepare the technical requirements, and the
production facility applied for the Food and Drug Administration
License to Operate (FDA LTO) and is now waiting for the result.
As an answer to the
pandemic, Rey’s Bakeshop started selling its products online through
different e-Commerce channels. Through the use of social media,
Rey’s product reached other provinces such as Laguna, Cavite, and
even some parts of Metro Manila. Moreover, the small farmers in
their community became the backbone of the business to answer the
insufficient supply of raw materials.
The transformation of
Rey’s Bakeshop is a testament that perseverance, innovation, and
being strong-willed run in the culture of Marinduque. And that the
transfer of legacy from generation to generation transcends
biological family ties.
