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Sunday, December 20, 2020

Entrepreneur finds business opportunities

in idle agriculture land amidst crisis

 

Instead of laying off workers in the midst of the pandemic that has prompted several businesses to either close up shop or extensively downsize, one businessman based in Southern Leyte has been creating jobs, hiring more than 24 employees to operate his growing number of food kiosks.

 

Entrepreneur Rey Calooy said this is a result of his decision to “pivot” or shift to another business model or other products and services in the time of the pandemic when there is serious lack of operational cash flow, low customer demand, and reduced opportunities to meet new clients.

 

In the first quarter this year, he opened My Farm, a dine-in pizza restaurant. When the government started initiating quarantine procedures as a measure to prevent a severe outbreak of COVID-19 cases, Calooy was forced to temporarily close My Farm and strategize.

 

In the absence of delivery apps in the provinces of Northern and Southern Leyte, he decided to bring My Farm to the public, targeting consumers working in the government, teachers, overseas Filipino workers, and millennials who associate pizza with city life.

 

He launched his first My Farm kiosk in July. Since then, he has been operating 12 curbside grab-and-go pizza kiosks across town. He is planning to operate a total of 18 kiosks by the end of the year.

 

Each kiosk is manned by “crewpreneurs” who Calooy considers as My Farm’s business partners. Through a profit-sharing scheme, they earn at least P500 a day in Southern Leyte while being coached to become entrepreneurs themselves.

 

Agriculture for business

 

Most of My Farm’s ingredients are supplied by Calooy’s own farm and other farmer associations. In 1997, during the Asian financial crisis, he has been slowly cultivating half a hectare of land strategically located along Maharlika Highway that is part of the Pan-Philippine Highway, the country’s longest system of roads and bridges that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao.

 

His integrated farm features drought-resistant rice, eggplant, okra, lettuce, atsal, bell pepper, tomato, bottle gourd, and spring onion, among others. They are harvested for his family’s meals and as ingredients for his food business. Some of his crops are also displayed and sold at My Farm kiosks.

 

At the same time, he buys raw materials from legitimate organizations with integrated farms that can augment the supply of ingredients My Farm branches need.

 

“This goes to show that we can make idle land productive, income-generating, and sustainable,” Calooy said. He has further developed his farm during the global financial crisis in 2007-2008.

 

He said that the current pandemic has disrupted the norm and severely affected tourism-dependent industries. Many city dwellers he knows have returned to their hometowns not only to work from home but also to grow their own food. Others living in the urban areas, he observed, are using available spaces to plant food crops amid the high cost of vegetables and fruits in the markets.

 

“I urge the government to encourage the public to engage in diversified and integrated farming not only to cope with the economic effects of the pandemic but also to ensure long-term supply of fresh food on the table,” he said.

 

He explained that by growing premium and quick cash crops and integrating them with livestock or aquaculture, small farm owners, whether they are amateur or experienced, are guaranteed self-sufficiency and optimum production and harvest.

 

Opportunities abound

 

Just like how he sees agriculture as a business opportunity, he said that entrepreneurs must never stop aspiring and must be brave enough to push through with creative initiatives even when market conditions are difficult.

 

“During critical times like these, the right mindset is important. Instead of looking at problems, entrepreneurs must strive to be positive and look at opportunities or other models they can make out of their current businesses,” Calooy said.

 

Calooy is no stranger to hardships. His first business was manufacturing of floor wax. When prices of raw materials went up to the point when making competitively priced floor wax was no longer feasible, he ventured into the distribution business. He absorbed many employees from the previous enterprise and used all his savings and expertise gained from working as an employee in the distribution department of a pharmaceutical company.

 

The stiff competition in the distribution industry prompted him to try his hand at making his own products to distribute. Through a series of technical-related difficulties, he plodded for weeks and successfully manufactured various vegetable-based noodle products. He has been distributing them through his company, RNC Marketing Philippines.

 

His noodle-making factory is also located along Maharlika Highway. The same factory buys crops, such as squash, from families across town to help complete the ingredients needed to make raw noodles. It also now makes the dough for the pizza products of My Farm.

 

He said this is another clear case of “pivoting” or shifting to another business model or other products and services in the time of the pandemic. This was a necessary move since some tourism-dependent products that RNC Marketing Philippines distributes are also affected by the pandemic.

 

The discovery of business opportunities in agriculture runs in Calooy’s family. His brother, Tito Calooy Jr., built Balsa Kafe in his farm to complement its agricultural business of rice farming, to add value to the land, and to provide the next generation with a venue to fall in love with farming.

 

The name Balsa Kafe is a reference to when the Calooy siblings would ride the balsahan or sled attached to their father’s carabao going to the family farm to harvest. Balsa Kafe is now considered among the top farm tourism destinations in Southern Leyte, according to the provincial office of the Department of Tourism.

 

Calooy is the president of the Filipino-Cebuano Business Club. He is a former vice mayor of Libagon, Southern Leyte, a Go Negosyo Awardee for Most Inspiring Entrepreneur of the Year, and a pioneer member of the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network.

 

For more information about My Farm, visit its Facebook page: www.fb.com/myfarmcafe. #


 





Friday, September 20, 2013

Business group asks city to exempt SMEs from paying grocery listing fees

-AA+A
Monday, September 16, 2013

A BUSINESS organization that represents micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs) in Cebu is appealing to the Cebu City Council to pass an ordinance exempting small and medium manufacturers and suppliers from paying listing fees imposed by grocery stores.
The Filipino-Cebuano Business Club Inc. (FCBI) said in its position paper that the high listing fees imposed by grocery store owners have become a “burden” to small manufacturers and suppliers. It said it makes their products unavailable in large grocery stores.
Grocery listing fees are charges imposed on products to be listed in the grocery’s database. Grocery stores have a computerized system that holds a database of all products for sale. For products to be listed in this database, FCBI said the manufacturer or supplier is made to pay a “listing fee.”
Although listing fees are a requirement, FCBI said the amount imposed by store owners are not regulated by law. FCBI said with the absence of this law, “store owners have the freedom to impose their desired amount for listing fees.”
The cost of listing fees range from P5,000 to P10,000 per stock keeping unit per store outlet.
“FCBI considers the listing fees imposed by grocery outlets in Cebu City a setback to small and medium manufacturers and suppliers here,” the position paper said.
In an interview, FCBI president Rey Calooy said all they want is a level playing field where small players can also thrive alongside big companies. He said regulating the cost of listing fees or exempting smaller suppliers will allow them to compete with imported brands.
“One avenue that helps promote the produce of small players is the supermarket. If you want to expand locally or globally, presence in well-known supermarkets is a factor that investors consider,” said Calooy.
FCBI anchored this appeal for exemption on the Magna Carta for MSMEs, which recognizes the potential of small and medium scale entrepreneurs in employment generation and economic growth.
A discussion on the appeal will be held this Friday.
According to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Cebu business development division chief Elias Guia Tecson, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Council has called the attention of grocery store owners about the appeal and invited them to attend the discussion set this Friday with the FCBI, MSMED Council and supermarket and grocery operators.
“We haven’t heard from supermarket operators yet. But we’d like to hear their side also,” he said.
Tecson said a resolution will be released as soon as both parties arrive at an agreement.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on September 17, 2013.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Networking Night gathers over 120 entrepreneurs in Cebu

Grow Your Business

Networking Night gathers over 120 entrepreneurs in Cebu

By Carlo P. Mallo

Jun 22, 2011
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Over 120 entrepreneurs gathered at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City for Entrepreneur Philippines' second Networking Night of the year. After several months of planning and a heavy downpour just a few hours before the event, the Networking Night in Cebu City turned out to be a successful event.

Entrepreneurs, both aspiring and startup, attended the event to hear success stories, tips and advice from some of Cebu’s most respected businessmen.

Event speakers who inspired fellow Cebuanos in the business scene were Rey Calooy of RNC Marketing, who tapped the potential of sachet packed sugar, coffee and cream; Joseph Gandionco of Julie’s Bakeshop, who helped his mother start what has become the country’s largest bakeshop chain; Jay Aldeguer of Islands Souvenirs, who saw the untapped potential of the souvenir items industry; and Manny OsmeƱa of Manny O Wines, who recognized the lack of wines suited for the Asian taste.

To give you a better picture of the Networking Night's success, check the gallery below.

If you missed the Networking Night in Cebu, you can still learn from our speakers by checking these out:

- Turn fireworks into an explosive business in 5 steps
- 3 products every aspiring restaurateur in Cebu must offer
- Uncork the secrets to the success of a Filipino's wine business

Photos by Rocel Ann Junio

Saturday, July 23, 2011

MY BOOK IN THE MAKING "MO ASENSO KA PINOY " CHAPTER 1 draft only

Page 1 & 2

Labing unang librong binisaya nga nagtug-an sa sekreto aron kitang mga Pinoy moasenso.


“The state of a country is only a reflection of the collective consciousness of the masses living therein”
-Anonymous

Pasiunang Pulong


Ang mga ideya sulod niining imong gikuptan nga libro gamhanan, mao kini ang gigamit sa mga bantugan ug mga malampuson nga tawo sama nila ni Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, ug daghan pa.

Kining mga ideyaha mao usab ang gigamit sa pipila ka mga Pinoy nga niasenso na sama nila ni Henry Sy, Lucio Tan, Manny Villar, John Gokungwei, Agusto Go, ug uban pa.

Among gituyo sa pagtapok kining gamhanan nga mga ideya sa tumong aron kakuhaan og pagtulon-an sa mga Pinoy.

Kasagaran sa mga Pinoy, gawas lang niadtong mga hilig mobasa ug nanuki-duki, nahikawan niining gamhanan nga mga ideya