Mayong’s Bakeshop & Snack house: A Legacy of Growth and Innovation

The Manila Times

Mayong’s Bakeshop & Snack house: A Legacy of Growth and Innovation  Mayong’s Bakeshop & Snack house, a beloved establishment rooted in Ormoc City, Leyte, has flourished from its humble beginnings as a small kiosk into a thriving enterprise with a total of sixteen main branches and sixteen outlets across Leyte, Samar, Southern Leyte, and Biliran Provinces. Founded by the Rodriguez brothers, Mayong’s has become a household name, known for its signature burgers (pickle on top), siopao, and a wide array of delicious treats.  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #themanilatimes   #worldnews  #philippines #entrepreneur

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:06 The Business Mentor Talks is vlog by no other, Armino Buz Bartolome.

00:11 [Music]

00:12 In cooperation with the Manila Times,

00:15 it aims to bring to life and recognize entrepreneurs

00:19 who constantly strive to create a living for the community as well.

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01:05 Listen to The Business Mentor Talks with Bruce Bartolome.

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01:14 We have a beautiful couple from the beautiful city of beautiful people with sweet pineapple.

01:21 They say that this is the city where celebrities are the leaders

01:27 and also the entrepreneurs are also leaders.

01:30 So without further ado, let me introduce to you the couple,

01:35 Perok and Rina Rodriguez of Mayong Mayong Hapon, Perok and Rina.

01:42 Good afternoon, sir. May hapon.

01:44 May hapon, sir.

01:45 May hapon. How is the weather in Ormoc?

01:51 It's still beautiful.

01:53 It's still beautiful.

01:54 It's too hot.

01:56 And one of the progressive towns that I visited during your foundation day.

02:03 And also, you're also a countryman of Alto Peak, another entrepreneur in the making.

02:12 So, Perok and Rina, tell us, how did Mayong start?

02:18 Yes.

02:20 Well, 38 years ago, around 1986, four brothers, the four of us,

02:30 we started a very small snack house. It's just a stall.

02:35 It's really small.

02:37 And I think we had only two personnel with us at that time.

02:43 And we were selling shopao and burger.

02:47 And royal.

02:49 Three items. That's all we were selling.

02:52 I wasn't with him yet at that time.

02:55 What was the boost? Why did you have a snack house?

03:00 Are you siblings?

03:02 Well, I had two brothers who are doctors.

03:09 At that time, Ormoc was a really small city.

03:13 And we were looking for something on the continent, a different snack house in that area.

03:20 So, we thought we could serve burgers in a different way, like American burger or what.

03:30 That's the idea. It started that way.

03:33 Okay. And how many stores does Mayong have right now, Rina?

03:40 How many stores?

03:42 We have stores in 10 locations across Leyte and Samar, across Region 8.

03:54 We have a total of 33 branches, including our peddling.

04:01 We have peddling vans and small outlets.

04:04 Okay. And what is the uniqueness of Mayong?

04:09 Because when I spoke to some people from Tacloban, they said, "Mayongs? That's been a long time."

04:17 What is the uniqueness of Mayongs? You are the homegrown of Region 8.

04:23 We sell the best products.

04:27 I think we're known for our burger.

04:32 Yeah.

04:34 With the pickle on top of it.

04:37 Oh, yeah. Pickle on top. When I saw that burger, I was wondering why there's pickle on top.

04:46 Tell us, Perok, why is there pickle on top? It's different from the regular hamburgers I've seen.

04:53 Yeah, because when we thought about it before, most of the burgers are inside the bun, the pickle.

05:01 We noticed that people take it out. Some, especially the kids, don't like it.

05:08 So what we thought about was whether to put it on top.

05:12 People might eat it first before eating a burger.

05:16 There was a time that there was short of pickles and people were looking for it.

05:24 So we said, "Okay, we'll just continue it, put it on top."

05:27 Something different from others.

05:29 And until now, we're still doing it.

05:32 So you've been known for saying "Mayongs, pickle on top."

05:39 No pickles, that's not Mayongs, right? Is that how it is?

05:43 Yes.

05:45 Well, just like I said, if you compare it to other leading brands, that's one thing that's different. Pickle on top.

05:54 Correct.

05:55 The normal version.

05:56 Yeah.

05:57 The Filipino version.

05:58 And the taste is really homemade.

06:01 So who came up with the recipe for your brothers and sisters?

06:07 My mom, she cooks. She started a bakery a long time ago, way ahead of us, maybe 45 years ago.

06:19 And with that, my brother, my older brother who passed away, thought about it. Why not complement each other?

06:28 They're in the bakery business and us in the snack food service.

06:32 So you started even the baking. I understand you also bake bread. Is that it?

06:41 Yeah, our buns are different. It's filling, it's soft, and it's really different.

06:49 We actually started because we weren't together yet. So when they started, it was just a snack house.

06:58 And then eventually, they expanded and there's a bakery. So we're now also known for our bakery products, especially for our sliced bread.

07:08 Okay. And would you say that Mayong's in the next two years would be spreading outside the Region 8?

07:16 I hope not.

07:17 Hopefully.

07:18 But how's the organization right now, Perok and Le Arena? Is this a very close-knit family-run operation?

07:32 Actually, since it's owned by the four brothers, we are now part of the board.

07:41 So it's run by an eight-man board, a corporation. And then basically, we have like 350 or more employees now.

07:53 What started as like two employees, it's now around 300. And then we have already started to formalize the structure.

08:03 We have different departments, but we have him on top of everything else as the CEO.

08:10 I'm the new CFO. And then we have his niece, who is the daughter of one of the founding brothers, as the COO.

08:23 And we have an active board membership.

08:26 So it's like you've become professional. Was this really the forecast or the vision that your brothers have envisioned?

08:37 That it will grow from two people to 300 people?

08:41 Well, we never thought about it. Gradually, as we went further out of our map, we noticed that there are too many branches to handle.

08:53 We thought about, we have to do maybe another step. If we go out of the region, which I think we could handle more.

09:02 So we just didn't notice. We just grew and grew and grew.

09:09 Opportunities came along the way that made them expand.

09:17 When we got married some 25 years ago, I remember him personally going to the branches in Southern Leyte.

09:28 And then his other brother would go to their branches in San Mar.

09:32 And then now, we have manpower to do the operations.

09:39 We have structures within our organization that allows him to focus more on top management, building on the vision, and making the vision come true.

09:51 And that's it. Maybe outside of our walk.

09:54 But what is your experience in starting the business compared to 38 years ago?

10:04 And now, how would you really figure out if you are the one who will start the business of Mayong's?

10:12 What are the challenges that you experienced?

10:17 Well, along the way, the number one challenge is competition.

10:24 So every time we open a store, especially the national brands, it's really hard.

10:30 Are we going to succeed or what?

10:33 But along the way, we've experienced that if you are different from them, your product is really different.

10:44 You get the feeling that your customers will go for you because you're different.

10:52 If you look at it now, for example, the brand.

10:56 If you look at the brand, there are a lot of different companies.

10:59 They just come to the department stores, sell their brand from different places.

11:07 And also, the snack house, also national brands come to your place.

11:13 Even small towns, they are already present.

11:16 And you just accept and learn from it.

11:20 So along the way, I didn't study any management or any course, any discourse.

11:30 But along the way, every time there's a seminar or anything that you can learn, just like where we met.

11:37 I won't say no. I always attempt to learn something.

11:41 For me, learning should stop there. You should learn every day.

11:46 So basically, you never expected it, but you started looking at opportunities.

11:54 How do you really now maintain the tight growth of the company?

11:59 You know, when the company starts to grow, you start to see a lot of distractions, a lot of misalignment.

12:09 Reena, what do you see now?

12:11 How well the Mayong's organization has emplaced the tightness in terms of the growth, especially during the pandemic.

12:22 But Reena, how was it?

12:24 Yeah, actually, during the pandemic, I think the good thing about how they've been running the business

12:34 is that you always try to adapt to changes and then there are unexpected events like the pandemic.

12:45 But instead of looking how hard it is or focusing on how hard it is, but we try to adjust and see what are the opportunities.

12:55 I think, fortunately, during the pandemic, we did not have to close any of our branches.

13:03 Exactly.

13:05 So when you're in the malls, we had to close some malls, but life goes on.

13:17 And so, because we had to wear masks, we had to get ready with the masks, we had to really be able to adapt to the changes.

13:25 So it's good that at this time, we already had people assigned.

13:31 We already have departments that are already functioning, so it's easy to escalate when there are changes that need to be done

13:43 or there are sudden things that need to be done because you already had people in place.

13:48 And we're really gifted with loyal people who treat Mayong's as their own.

13:55 Yeah, right, right.

13:57 You've been through a lot of crises for the past 38 years, the Asian crisis, the typhoons.

14:04 Yolanda.

14:05 Yolanda. How was Yolanda? I mean, did it really affect you or especially the supply chain?

14:15 Yeah, the supply chain and well, some of the stores, especially Malayo, it's really hard because our central operations are here in Ormoc.

14:26 And to bring the goods out of the ROMATs to the branches, it was really a challenge.

14:33 And you know, there was no bank, it was really hard.

14:38 Just like Katrina said, we have to adapt. And luckily for us, I think after two weeks, after Yolanda, all our branches were up and running, ready to serve the people.

14:48 It was really hard, there was no food, no electricity, and we could provide for the people.

14:53 At that time, I think we had to help the community, we had to slash certain prices of our products, just to help also our community.

15:02 Actually, one thing that happened was, I said there was a shortage of food.

15:09 And then even some soft drinks were selling expensively.

15:13 Some people would even buy our bread and then sell it like triple the price.

15:19 So we also tried to control that, you hoarders.

15:23 So we were strict because we didn't want people to think we were taking advantage of the situation.

15:32 And we also wanted to make sure that people will not take advantage of the situation.

15:37 So we were really conscious about it.

15:40 And then that was the time that we were browned out for a long time, for a month.

15:49 So we had to operate on generators, and then fuel is more expensive than the usual electricity.

15:57 But then on our part, we decided that it's not good to have calamities and limitations.

16:11 We thought we have to maintain our prices to the most that we can, as a way of supporting and giving thanks to all our loyal customers who have been with us in good times.

16:27 We have to show to them that in bad times, we can still be relied on.

16:31 Correct, correct. That's right.

16:33 I mean, actually, that's very rare, what you're doing.

16:37 A lot of people would take advantage of the situation because of shortage and really maximize whatever profit.

16:44 But yours is actually your feeling for the people, giving thanks to the community at the time of need.

16:53 I noticed at the back of your, you are now overflowing with awards.

17:00 What are these awards, by the way? I'm really surprised.

17:04 Give me some or one or two awards that you're really proud of.

17:08 This one is the most recent Zingaro that we got, and it's the most beautiful so far.

17:14 This is from the city of Ormoc.

17:18 We have annual business awards, and so we've been awarded as the Business Innovations Awards in Manufacturing.

17:30 Wow, that's great. Business Innovation Award Manufacturing.

17:35 That's something, especially the process, right?

17:41 So what other awards did you garner, Pero?

17:47 Actually, we have the Best Burger Award.

17:50 But this one is the Outstanding Taxpayers Award.

17:58 Oh, so you're really compliant.

18:02 So basically, I'm sure I forgot to ask, why Mayongz? What's the meaning of Mayongz, Pero?

18:13 Just like I said, there were four brothers, and our eldest brother, Mayongz, his nickname, because he's big, he loves to eat.

18:24 So I said, "Why not say your name is unique, and you love to eat, why not name it after him?"

18:31 So that's how we started the name Mayongz.

18:34 So it's really the name of the eldest or one of the...

18:39 Eldest brother.

18:42 The eldest brother, there are ten in the family.

18:45 Hey, it looks like there's no family planning.

18:49 It's just the eldest brother.

18:52 Well, in our box, 30 years ago, most of the families, it's hard to look for more than five kids.

19:02 So we have another award, sir.

19:05 Yes.

19:06 The OST, this is very important.

19:09 It's the best setup adapter.

19:12 Because they have the setup program of the OST.

19:17 Yeah, we have been practicing the OST, maybe seven, eight years ago.

19:22 And especially in developing products, right now, our government, they want a nutri-band.

19:31 So we produced, together with the OST's guidance,

19:35 to produce a nutri-band that's very good, full of vitamins,

19:42 enriched with squash, squash-based.

19:49 And we have tested with that to show that it's very high in vitamins.

19:56 But a hard bought.

19:58 But again, I remember years and years ago, that was actually a recipe from USAID to help in fight malnutrition.

20:10 And the bonds were given during the flood victims, for people who are in the disaster area.

20:18 So it's an ongoing program for our government's education.

20:25 And we have had, well, we got some contracts in some areas here in Virginia.

20:36 Oh, that's good.

20:38 Well, give me at least three takeaways, Rina and Peroc, for people who are starting a business.

20:46 People who are starting a business, maybe about one year ago,

20:51 people who are with a lot of stores and they want to move up.

20:56 So the first question is, what are the takeaways or advice that you can share?

21:02 I mean, 38 years of business, can't go wrong, right?

21:06 To those who are starting a business, to those who are watching us, husband and wife, families, what would be your advice?

21:15 I wouldn't take it upon me that I started a business.

21:19 I got married already 13 years into the business.

21:22 But what I see in him is really hard work.

21:25 It tells me that before that when they started, they had to open another branch outside the city.

21:33 And then the roads were really, really rough roads because it wasn't concrete.

21:39 And then he would travel for several hours just to get to a branch.

21:44 And he really personally tried to oversee the branches in Ormoc and outside Ormoc.

21:51 So that's what I see in him.

21:53 There will always be reasons why not, right?

22:00 But you have to focus on the reason why you should.

22:04 Because that will bring you to where you want to be.

22:10 So that's what I see in him. It's really hard work.

22:14 Yes, there will be doubts, but you consider those doubts so that you can make reasonable judgment.

22:20 But you don't make those doubts stop you.

22:23 You analyze because things need to be analyzed, but you don't allow those analysis to paralyze you.

22:30 So just focus on what it is you really want to achieve and then give it your best.

22:39 And then God will put everything in place.

22:43 That's what I see in him, sir.

22:45 But Piroj, did you ever, you and your brothers, did you ever reach a point where you're tired?

22:51 I mean, this is taxing already.

22:53 Did you ever reach a point and say, "Are we going to continue or not?"

22:58 Luckily, no, sir.

23:03 But there are doubts. Number one is doubt.

23:06 Sometimes also the direction.

23:08 You fight for the direction, the vision of where you're going.

23:11 So every time, there's always disagreements on the direction.

23:18 So we go back on our vision when we started 28 years ago.

23:22 So we go back and reflect on it because along the way, I tell you, there will be disagreements.

23:32 But hopefully, you can patch up everything that we did.

23:36 We're still together and really continue your dreams.

23:41 A lot of this, sir, for me, is about patience also.

23:45 You have to be patient.

23:47 Along the way, there will be competition.

23:53 There will be what we call problems, the price increases and everything.

24:00 Just give an example like ASF.

24:04 One of our strong products is Chocout.

24:08 It's pork.

24:10 You cannot bring the other goods to the next town or the town after because there will be checkpoints along the road looking for meat.

24:23 So there are challenges.

24:25 If you say, "I will not do this."

24:28 So what will happen?

24:30 So you really have to persevere, have patience, look for ways how to bring it there.

24:36 Speaking of vision, sir, I have to mention, sir, one of the major actors in Mayong is his brother Lito who passed away.

24:54 He was actually the visionary among the brothers, I would say.

24:58 He tried to really think ahead, 10, 15, 20 years ahead.

25:06 In fact, the very building that we are sitting on now was his vision.

25:12 Unfortunately, he passed away on the year when this building was finished.

25:21 So it's his brother Lito.

25:24 Right, right.

25:26 But it's nice to see two brothers who are really putting up a business and really keep on that legacy.

25:35 So let's talk about the others.

25:38 For example, will there be a second generation running the organization now?

25:43 Are there second and third generations right now, Pero?

25:46 In your family business?

25:49 Yes, that's Maika, my operations officer.

25:54 She's now the second generation.

25:57 Another sister of hers is also part of the program.

26:01 But definitely, every summer we have this program with our kids.

26:05 They go to the stores, we give them a chance to learn.

26:13 And hopefully along the way, when they graduate, there will be a lot of different courses that they will take.

26:18 Hopefully, they will look at my office.

26:21 Hopefully, because we can't enforce that all the kids will follow us.

26:25 But definitely, somebody has to take care of these kids.

26:30 Which is very admirable because you are now exposing them but not forcing them.

26:35 It's like a summer camp.

26:37 You practice, you get paid, you cook a hamburger.

26:43 They are now grandkids.

26:48 They are now third generation.

26:52 Third generation, wow.

26:54 So really, yeah.

26:57 Anyway, good luck to Mayongs and really hope to see Mayongs flying all over.

27:03 Not only just in Leyte but also covering the Philippines as well as going abroad.

27:11 It's not a bad dream but I'm sure seeing Mayongs in the US for example.

27:23 I'm sure there are a lot of people in Leyte who will really feel the homesickness.

27:28 "Hey, this is Mayongs, this is ours."

27:30 Be proud of it.

27:32 So yeah, good luck to you and more power to the Mayongs brand.

27:39 But also, Perok, I believe you have the time to serve the city also.

27:46 How do you balance?

27:47 I believe you have your personal, private, entrepreneurial activity

27:53 but you also have time to serve the government, the local government, Perok.

27:58 Well, it's about three to ten management.

28:01 First of all, I have a very supportive wife who works before.

28:06 In a accounting firm before.

28:13 So she knows a lot.

28:15 Thank you, Perok.

28:18 So she knows systems.

28:21 She's there for me also.

28:25 So I have my balance.

28:26 On weekends, I spend my time with my family.

28:29 That's good.

28:30 Returning your blessings to the community.

28:33 With Rina as one of the top people.

28:38 I understand, Rina, you're one of the top eight in the CPA board.

28:42 Was it true?

28:43 I heard a rumor that Rina Rodriguez is one of the top CPA.

28:51 Sir, maybe someone googled it and they saw the year.

28:55 Regardless of the year, but you were one of the top eight.

29:01 Is that right?

29:03 No, no, no.

29:04 It's a secret.

29:06 She doesn't want to tell.

29:08 Anyway, good luck to you and God bless to all your endeavors and to the family to keep on growing.

29:18 I hope to see one of the homegrown brands flying all over again.

29:24 Not just in Leyte or Tacloban.

29:28 Good luck to you.

29:29 Thank you very much for your time.

29:30 I know it's Saturday.

29:32 It's a Sunday, by the way.

29:35 It's a rest day.

29:36 I hope good luck to all of you.

29:40 Thank you very much, Parrock and Rina.

29:43 Thank you, sir.

29:44 Thank you.

29:45 God bless.

29:46 Bye.

29:47 Bye.

29:48 [MUSIC]

29:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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