HOMEBASED MOTHER BREWS BUSINESS TO SUCCESS

MS. Mary Ann Bagalanon is a mother of two children when she opened Teapid Food and Beverage House. Just 8 months later, the business now has two branches.

TEAPID MILK TEA was born on 2019 as a mom’s hobby – preparing meals and snacks for her family. It started when her children asked for money to buy the popular milk tea drinks near the school vici­nity. Instead of money, she prepared her own ver-sion of the drink and gave it to her children. Her children love the concoction and suggested to offer the same drink to their relatives and friends. With good feedback from her first customers, Ms. Mary Ann took the courage to start her milk tea business.

With the proliferation of milk tea in the premier business locations in Los Baños, Mary Ann chose to put up her first shop in front of her house, with a mindset that she is the only milktea provider in her barangay. ”Sa business, tingnan mo din yung pwede mong maibigay sa komunidad, yung tingin mo na wala pa. Kaya hindi muna ako lumayo, since mahilig din naman ang mga taga dito sa products na gusto kong ioffer,” she said.

She also participa­ted in weekend bazaars to widen her consumer reach.

Managing a business is not always about gaining profit. Her business was affected when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred in the country. There were times when she barely made a revenue but she never gave up. She said that the key for the business to last even during crisis is “malasakit”. Malasakit to her employees, her suppliers and most importantly to the community drives her to be proactive during those times.

“You just need to listen to your customers, what they needed the most”, Mary Ann said.

Teapid did not want to limit their products to milktea alone and promises their customers and patrons that the business will offer more variety in the coming years.

She encourages everyone especially the moms like her to engage in a business. It will not only give additional income but most importantly it will give self-satisfaction.

“Huwag matakot magsimula, if kulang ang kaalaman, lumapit sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno kagaya ng DTI Negosyo Center dahil paniguradong matutulungan sila nito. Mula sa pagrehistro ng business hang-gang sa kung paano ito mapapalago”.