Bread house brings in the dough
Lou Dominguez is a wife, mother, baker, and owner of The Sourdough Breadhouse in Quezon City. She bakes an assortment of sourdough bread for cafes and individual customers around Metro Manila. She started baking as a hobby in 2018 when her sisters encouraged her to give sourdough baking a try. During the pandemic, she was encouraged further to sell her bread, and the business took off. Since then, she's expanded her baking from her humble kitchen to a small dedicated bakery where she accommodates the orders of her ever growing list of customers. Now, at 60, she is still full of passion and energy to expand her business and hone her craft in all things sourdough.
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Lou Dominguez is a wife, mother, baker, and owner of The Sourdough Breadhouse in Quezon City. She bakes an assortment of sourdough bread for cafes and individual customers around Metro Manila. She started baking as a hobby in 2018 when her sisters encouraged her to give sourdough baking a try. During the pandemic, she was encouraged further to sell her bread, and the business took off. Since then, she's expanded her baking from her humble kitchen to a small dedicated bakery where she accommodates the orders of her ever growing list of customers. Now, at 60, she is still full of passion and energy to expand her business and hone her craft in all things sourdough.
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
Subscribe to Business Franchise Guru: https://www.youtube.com/@BusinessFranchiseGuru
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
Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters
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
#philippines
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NewsTranscript
00:00The Business Mentor Talks is vlog by no other, Armando Buts Bartolome, in cooperation with
00:14the Manila Times.
00:15It aims to bring to life and recognize entrepreneurs who constantly strive to create a living for
00:21the community as well.
00:22The Business Mentor Talks is a production of the Manila Times, and is brought to you
00:52by Armando Buts Bartolome, and by me, your host, Armando Buts Bartolome.
01:15Good morning, great afternoon to you, to all of those people watching the Manila Times
01:19vlog.
01:20I'm Armando Buts Bartolome, the Business Mentor, and this morning, actually, we have
01:25somebody.
01:26Did you ever realize that whenever you eat bread, like sourdough, a bread that's really
01:32made by an artisan baker, you crave for it, right?
01:36And today, this morning, we have a guest, an entrepreneur, who is actually specializing
01:45on sourdough baking bread.
01:48So, let's call on Lulet Dominguez.
01:54Good morning, good Sunday to you, Lulet, Lu.
01:57Good morning, Tito Buts.
02:00Yeah.
02:01Hi.
02:02Tell me, how did you become an entrepreneur, what is your background, Lu?
02:10My business started during the pandemic, but before that, I wanted to bake.
02:17My siblings, they bake, they study, they take courses, and since we have this Viber group,
02:26we started, I was joining them, they started telling me, Lu, don't start baking, you're
02:32the only one who doesn't bake for us.
02:35So, they taught me, and then I started also watching on YouTube, and then it really got
02:45my interest, because I really wanted to make bread from the very start.
02:50It wasn't sourdough, because I always prepared bread for my children going to school.
02:56So, before, I just bought bread, and then my brothers and sisters advised me to bake.
03:04And then I was also lucky, somebody gifted me bread with an oven.
03:09So, it was getting, it was complete, I had the oven, I had people teaching me, so I ventured
03:15into it, and then my sister also gave me my mother's starter for sourdough.
03:22So, ayun na, inalagaan ko na siya ever since 2018, hanggang ngayon siya pa rin yung aking
03:29starter, and yeah, that made me, it's nice, because I started with a very hard bread,
03:38something na pwede mong pangpatay sa manganakaw, gano'n, and then you keep honing the art,
03:46the craft, hanggang sa, ayun, gumanda na yung tinapay ko, nagustuhan na ng pamilya ko,
03:54and then I was baking several loaves already, we couldn't consume it, and then a friend of mine
04:01told me, magpost ka sa Facebook, may bibili don. So, nagpost sa Facebook, and true enough,
04:09merong bumibili, but not much. But during the pandemic, when people were really looking for
04:17a good kind of bread, ayun, nag-click ako, kaya the pandemic was really kind of a blessing to
04:23me, kasi doon ko nakuha yung marami sa customers ko ngayon, the cafe. Yeah, so you started with a
04:32bread, but why bread? I mean, you can start with cakes, you can start with cookies, pastries,
04:40why focus on bread? There's something that you probably found a jewel there in bread,
04:47baking bread. First of all, ayoko yung exact measurement, ayoko yung very scientific.
04:58Sourdough is very, it's very forgiving. Kahit sumobra, kumunti ka sa measurement mo,
05:06nasa pag-manage mo, it's the way you develop it. So, yan yung pinakauna, kasi my sisters,
05:13they bake bread, they bake cookies and everything, and everything is measured weight,
05:18weight and everything. Hindi ko kaya yun. Sabi ko, hindi ko kaya yun. Pag sinabing 165,
05:23kahit 170, okay na dapat sakin. Sa kanila, hindi. 165, 165.
05:30Yes, hindi ako ganun tao. I like, and I like playing with it, eh. I like adjusting on my own.
05:37So, if I get a recipe from YouTube, eventually iba na yung recipe ko. Kasi I like to keep
05:43adjusting the recipe. And sourdough. So, you want to be, you want to be innovative,
05:49in other words, Lu, you're not confined to what is and what is, because you are going to innovate,
05:56you're going to be creative, correct? Yes, yes. In other words, you cannot be bound by the,
06:01within the box. Sabi ka natin, di ba? That's very true. O, kasi, ano yan eh? Artistic yan eh,
06:08di ba? Hindi naman yung nagko-commercial bread ka eh. Kaya nga tawag nandyan eh,
06:13mga artisan bakery. Bakers. Opo. Artisan, di ba? They only bake bread what is within their own
06:20limitation. But tell me about sourdough. A lot of, I'm really a fan of sourdough,
06:27but what is this sourdough ba? I mean, a lot of people ask me, why sourdough? Because I like the
06:33bread. But you start, it started with the 2018 starter? Starter kit? Yes, yes. Opo.
06:41And how, what is the benefit, what's a good thing about sourdough ba, Lu? Well, sourdough,
06:49they call it the healthier option in bread. Kasi you ferment the bread. There's a fermentation
06:55process going in when you do the sourdough bread. And it makes it healthier. Kasi mas maganda sa
07:03digestion. Um, they say a low glycemic index. Meaning, pwede mong kainin siya na hindi ka
07:12nagsaspike yung sugar mo. Although, I always tell my customers, siyempre po, take it in moderation.
07:19Hindi por kit sinabing, ah, maganda to sa diabetic, ay kakainin mo naman yung buong loaf. So wala
07:25rin, no? So I always tell them also, take it in moderation also. You have to consider that. Um,
07:33I like with sourdough is, ah, yun nga, first and foremost, it's healthy. No? And then just with
07:40flour, salt, your, your sourdough starter and water, makakagawa ka na ng pinapay. Hindi mo na
07:48kailangan yung, yung ibang ingredients na vanilla, ah, cheese, mga garam. You can have your own
07:55bread. Kaya na, medyo na, ano ko, I like it because it's so simple, but yet it's so difficult to do.
08:03You have to come up with your own procedure to come out with the ideal loaf that you like.
08:10Ako hanggang ngayon, I'm still developing it. So ilang generations na itong sourdough from the
08:15time your mother gave it to you? Ay, pangilang siya? Pangilang siya rin nga? Ano na po? O,
08:20siya gumawa talaga? The sourdough, my sister, my sister gave me my starter. I don't know where
08:27she got it, but it was an older starter na rin. And I just took care of it. So basta yung sa akin,
08:33it started with me 2018. And you're still maintaining the, the, the mother, the mother
08:39sourdough, right? Yes, yes. I feed it and then I get some from it. I develop starter that I will
08:47use. Tapos yung aking natinang konti, I feed ko ulit. Tapos kukuha ako ulit doon. Tapos doon
08:53ako magpaparami ulit ng aking gagamitin. Dapat magturo ka lo. I'm sure a lot of our viewers
09:02are itching to find out, you know, magpapaturo ko kay Lulule. And, you know, kasi maraming na
09:08ngayon eh. Maraming housewives are really venturing into this kind of breaking of bread.
09:15Not just an ordinary bread, but you know, especially sourdough. A lot of people making
09:20pizza are also using sourdough. Actually you can make a lot. Panti mga sourdough cake,
09:26pancakes, waffles. You can do anything with sourdough actually. Correct. So Pani Lu,
09:34ang business mo ngayon, where do you want to take your business? I mean,
09:39are you in the commercial aspect of it or are you accepting a lot of people,
09:46you know, especially with your bread, the type of bread that you're, you're baking?
09:51My business is very small as of now, but siyempre gusto ko siyang lumaki. I'm thankful for those na
10:01dahil sa post ko sa Facebook, nag-discover nila yung bread ko. Even some cafe. I'm supplying
10:07a few cafes already and that's very good for me. And then I have also individual customers.
10:15I would like to have more cafes to serve. Also, natutuwa ako din sa mga, I get to chat with my
10:25customers, mga individual customers, usually diabetics. Usually yan yun, yung mga diabetics
10:32yung nakakausap ko. And I'm glad that I'm able to help kasi I'm able to give them an alternative.
10:39Kasi most of them like to eat bread, but since they have diabetics, they cannot. So I try to
10:45help them out. Sometimes I would even bake something that would fit them. I don't sell,
10:54I try to fit what they need. Pero pang customer-customer lang naman po yun.
11:00Are you planning to put up your own brand?
11:02A loose sourdough branches like a store? Is that in the pipeline or you just want to supply
11:12existing cafes? As of now, nandun pa lang ako. But siyempre, eventually I'd like to have my own store.
11:21But medyo ano yun eh, malaki ang capital din nun, malaki ang input. Tapos another
11:32venture that I have to manage. So right now, I mean, I would like to get more cafes through
11:40bigger clients. But eventually, I'd like to have a store. I'd like to be able to. Kasi I
11:50also like to make sandwiches. Sometimes I post on how I serve my bread. And some people,
12:00yeah, it would be nice also if I could have a store and I can serve this.
12:04Yan ka na, di ba? Puro sourdough, whatever I can do with my sourdough bread.
12:09Correct.
12:10Eventually, yeah, maybe I have a store. Nagi-inquire-inquire din naman po ako. Like,
12:16I join bazaars. So para makilala din yung brand ko, the Sourdough Bread House.
12:24Yan, kaya...
12:25Sourdough, yan. Tandaan nyo ha, mga kaibigan. Sourdough Bread House. Just starting now.
12:33And probably a few months down the road, you will see, you know, Sourdough Bread House
12:38in different locations, di ba? Maganda yan, maganda yan. You know, but a lot of entrepreneurs
12:43really do ganyan eh. Nagsisimula talaga sa, you know, they start with their own, they try to
12:50modify, they try to perfect. But they're not really into commercial. A lot of people nowadays,
12:56they just produce whatever they can produce. It's quality versus quantity.
13:03Hindi ba? Kasi if it's commercially done, where is the, where is the life? Where is the story
13:09behind the Sourdough Bread House, di ba? So, yun yung maganda eh, no? Na hahanap-hanapin ka na
13:15mga tao kahit konti na lang yung tinda mo, eh magkakagulo sila just to grab your bread, di ba?
13:23Yun yung mga maganda eh, mga nakikita ko yun eh, mga ganon. Um, mga iba nga, may pre-paid pa,
13:29pre-paid. In other words, they pay you in advance and say, oh, uh, Lu, here's uh, here's my money,
13:34I will order, blah, blah, blah. It's a good problem, right, Lu? Yes, it's true.
13:43Oh, I have a good problem. I have this much order to do today, mga ganon, di ba? Correct, correct.
13:49But you know, quality is also number one, ha? Because uh, yun ang isang pitfall ng mga
13:54entrepreneurs, no? Quantity takes over quality, kasi delikada yun, no? Alam mo naman.
14:00Credibility, atsaka word of mouth. Nowadays, with the digitalization that we're in,
14:05with the social media, madali kang iangat, madali, mabilis ka rang ibagsak, you know? I mean,
14:12customer complaint, blah, blah, blah, di ba? So uh, so what is now, are you passing on this
14:19legacy to your children, being uh, you know, starting this business of Sardo Bread House?
14:25Is that in the pipeline that you're now passing on, the baton?
14:30Nako, sad to say, wala pa sa kanila yung interest ng bread baking. But I'm telling them naman na,
14:37hmm, atsaka I'm making videos of what I do. Sabi ko, if something happens to me,
14:45you just have to watch what I've been doing. And you'll understand what I'm doing, kasi
14:50they're all, they're all interested with their own lives. I have a son who's an architect,
14:54uh, my other son's a chemist, and my youngest daughter is into animation. So medyo malayo
15:02sa aking ginagawa. Animation naman pwedeng gawin si mom gumagawa ng Sardo, di ba? Pero
15:10anime yan, di ba? Yung mga ganyan. And you have a son who's an architect, who can design, probably,
15:15how uh, the look of a Sardo, di ba? The baker, di ba? Yun ang importantito.
15:20And when my son's a chemist, I ask him, anak, bakit ganito to? Um, bakit ganito yung reaction?
15:27It's really nice, eh. I mean, I'm able to reach out, uh, yung mga questions ko rin sa aking,
15:32ano, business. Good. Kaya naman makatuwa din. Oh, it complements, it complements. And sooner
15:39or later, maganda yung ginawa mo. I like the idea that you're taking a video of what you're doing,
15:44uh, it's only for your use at the moment, but your children are actually, yeah, just actually,
15:52you can review it, di ba? Kasi iba misan, ang sarap ng tinapay mo, pero miya-miya,
15:58paano ko ba ginawa yan? Di ba? Ibang, uh, baka nagkamali ako ng recipe, di ba? You can review
16:03your recipe, uh, you can review your, uh, your video. But it also provides guidance for your
16:11children. It's true. You know, my, my, my, my mother, my grandmother, they are very good cooks.
16:17But sad to say, yung ibang niluluto nila, hindi na namin alam gawin, because it wasn't happening.
16:23Wala na, wala na, wala na yung, uh, alam ko ba, uh, ang tawag natin dun, eh, yung recipe,
16:30heirloom recipe. Uh-huh. So, hindi na alam na, na ano yan. Ngayon, at least if I have a video,
16:39they can always look at it. If they, if they become interested, ay, ito pala yung ginagawa
16:44ng mami. Ngayon, wala kami ganun, eh. Wala kami, ano pa yung ginagawa ng lola noon? Paano
16:48niya kaya ginawang ganito yung niluluto niya dati? Hindi, wala na kami. What, what, what were they
16:55known for that you can remember? What were they cooking before? Ah, yung mga kakanin. Also, my
17:03lola, ano eh, my lola, she used to reach out to the poor and come up with, um, very nutritious
17:10recipes na mura lang. Pero kami dati nun yung pagkain mahirap. Marami kaning, well, we, we
17:18grew up, ano, my, my grandparents and my, my parents, they fed us healthy food. Kaya yung
17:26mga dating ginagawa nilang healthy, healthy recipes na mura. Sa lola ko, yun yung mura.
17:34Saka paano ka magluto? Paano ka makakapagtanim? Yung lola ko, ano yun, yun yung talagang
17:44how to eat properly. It doesn't have to be expensive. Kaya rin natutunga ako sa sourdough
17:50because these are really simple ingredients. But what makes the sourdough expensive is
17:56how you develop it, eh. Sabi ko nga sa inyo, nung umpisa, ang tegas nung ginawa akong sourdough,
18:01walang makakain. As in, ang tigas. Ngayon, ano siya, display siya ngayon.
18:07Ah, okay. Ganun siya. I'm sure a lot of our, uh, a lot of our viewers are wanting or itching,
18:14where can we find Lou? Where can we, uh, how can they order? Uh, would you like to tell us
18:22where they can find you, Lou? Uh, where is your location ba, Lou, at the moment?
18:27I'm baking from a unit here at our condominium, the Princeton Residences. So, yung isang unit,
18:34I turned it into my bakery. And, yun, um, I'm on Google. I'm in Facebook, the Sourdough Breadhouse.
18:45Most of my customers are just online and friends. Okay, so you can be found in,
18:52you can be found in, uh, Google pala. And, um, probably the title is the Mother Sourdough.
18:58Uh, you're the mother, you're the mom. Sourdough Breadhouse.
19:02You're the mom of Sourdough Breadhouse, diba? So, yun ang anon. But, uh, tell me, uh, Lou,
19:08final siguro is, what kind of, uh, uh, takeaways that you can give to a lot of our viewers? Those
19:16who are probably housewives, those who are probably looking for, uh, another revenue.
19:23You know, alam mo naman, mga panahon natin yun, hindi rin, hindi rin biro-biro, no? Because right
19:27after pandemic, businesses are just picking up, no? What kind of takeaways would you want to
19:33impart to our viewers? For me, baking became my passion, eh. And, um, sa ibang mga housewives,
19:43maybe there's something that they really want to do. Parang, wag niyong i-confine na sa akin lang
19:50to. I'm sure sa ginagawa nila, merong ibang nakakagusto. So, they can start, um, developing
19:58what they like to do. And then start, yun, start selling. Make perfecting whatever you want to do,
20:05kesa kung pagkain, damit. Anything, uh, kahit na, ano, eh, talent, anything that you can hone,
20:16na magpa-perfect mo on your own, you can, you can, ano, eh, you can earn from it.
20:24You can develop a talent and be profitable with it. Don't think na,
20:33hindi naman ito, ano, ma-appreciate ng iba. I didn't think that people will appreciate the
20:39bread that I make. It's only when my friend told me, you start selling. That's when I,
20:45I got encouraged to sell. Um, even housewives sa bahay, you can, you can make money, eh.
20:53Huwag mo sabihin, housewife lang ako. Hindi. Maraming, maraming pwedeng pagkakitaan.
20:59Ang mga mothers are very creative. They can come up with ideas. If you cannot come up with an idea,
21:07manood ka lang sa, sa, ano, sa Facebook and mga ganyan, you'll come up with an idea, eh.
21:14All you have to do is, ano, be determined to, to do something to, to improve your present condition.
21:23In other words, there's, ah, kumbaga, persistence talagan, diba? Hindi yung,
21:28suko ka na, diba? Yung suko na ako, eh. Kasi ganito lang ako, hindi ako nakapag-ah,
21:34you know, yung mga gano'n. Yung mga, alam mo, yung mga, mga marites na,
21:39walang, walang kasay-say-say-say, diba? Diba? Yung mga, it's, it's not.
21:44Make your life more productive.
21:46Hindi productive, eh, no? In other words, like for example, ah, you're a housewife and,
21:51ah, or probably you're both of, both of you were probably laid off, ah, you have to really find
21:58out ways how you can turn around, diba? Maraming opportunities kaya, diba? Like for example,
22:04yung passion, I think, I like what you said, no? You're very passionate about baking bread
22:09and you never stop. I'm sure you stop in the beginning, no? Para bang yung matigas na tinapay
22:15pwede ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo, ipo
22:452018?
22:472018 ako nag start
22:49pero noong pandemic ako nag boom
22:53correct
22:55even the pandemic did not stop me
22:57correct, correct
22:59so yeah, kung hindi
23:01magkakasakit ka diba?
23:03you're going to get old
23:06look at Lou, Lou is always
23:08forever young looking diba?
23:10kasi nga iba yung disposition niya diba?
23:12so ganyan, ganyan ang entrepreneur
23:15so yeah Lou
23:17I really appreciate this interview
23:19and really I want to keep up
23:21I'm sure I'll be showing you
23:23some of the pictures
23:25pag nakita niya yung pictures na pinadala
23:27sa akin ni Lou
23:29pag hindi pa kayo nag order diyan
23:31diba?
23:33mapapa-order ka
23:35at mapapa-convert ka
23:37na artisan bread
23:39makes a difference rather than
23:41commercial bread
23:43marami ring unhealthy bread diyan diba?
23:45sobra-sobra yung mga
23:47ano ba yung nilalagay nila?
23:49yung mga pampapute na bread
23:51na sobrang additives
23:53diba?
23:55mga bleached flour
23:57treated flour
23:59correct, correct, correct
24:01so yeah Lou
24:03thank you very much
24:05and thank you for this Sunday
24:07na naisubok ko yung
24:09commercial baking bread
24:11siguro it's your time out
24:15all home po sila ngayon
24:17yeah all home
24:19yung starter bread mo
24:21yung dough
24:23I'm sure lot of people will say
24:25turuan niyo naman kami
24:27baka magkaroon ka ng youtube channel na ganyan
24:29si Sardo
24:31hindi masama
24:33again you can also be a teacher
24:35online and you can profit from that
24:37yes
24:39I could venture into that also
24:41in the future
24:43specialize on Sardo
24:45Sardo, Sardo, Sardo
24:47I mean that's it
24:49not a bread, just Sardo
24:51singular product
24:53I think the success
24:55ng negosyo is singular product
24:57hindi yung maraming
24:59maraming products
25:01minsan nagkakatulog
25:03minsan quality
25:05pabayaan di ba yun?
25:07So again, thank you very much Lu
25:09and again
25:11it's really a pleasure talking with you
25:13this such a short period
25:15but I'm sure a lot of our viewers
25:17will be watching and
25:19repeating this
25:21thank you very much
25:23so thank you, thank you
25:35you