About Us
SITSIRYA Sari-Sari: The Story Behind.
How it all started.
My wife and I were both employed when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in 1983. The economic backlash had us ending up jobless because of the effect on businesses then. We were job hunting for some months with all of our savings depleted and incurring debts in the interim. Finally, losing hope of finding a job, we decided to set up a table selling space inside a small supermarket. This is where we started selling Filipino kakanin. This was in 1984.
Where did you get the idea of putting up a business like this.
I grew up with 4 grandmothers, all of them, good cooks. When I was young, I used to hang around the kitchen, helping out with cooking chores, especially when they were preparing sweets/ desserts, like leche flan, ube halaya, maja blanca, etc. I often got rewarded with the “tira-tira” for my efforts.
My wife Era, also grew up immersed in their family restaurant business, so she was no stranger to the food business.
Our daughter, Haraya, was fond of receiving pasalubong, when we were still gainfully employed, Her term for it then, was “magic”. We thought there was such a need to be fulfilled. My wife, Era, and I also had our memories of our parents coming home with Pasalubong (which delighted us no end!). This was the inspiration for our Standard Store Customer Greeting: “Pasalubong kay ‘Bunso’!” Bunso simply refers to a loved one (young and old).
Eventually, this is also what inspired the first of our tagline: “We create and serve memories”.
How much is your capital (estimated cost)
At that time, I borrowed Php 10,000. from my mother-in-law; from the proceeds of the burial donations for my father-in-law, who had just passed away then. We used it to set up our first table space, and for the initial inventory. Today, an outside the mall setup would require around Php 200,000. In a mall set-up, it will be Php 400,000. upwards.
Did you join bazaars or any other events to promote your products?
Through the years, we joined bazaars and exhibits, whenever possible. Eventually, in 2001, we were invited to set-up our first Mall-based outlet, after they saw us in an exhibit in the same mall.
We had a chance to expand after that. Then, we were featured in various magazines, TV shows, radio show interviews, etc. It was also in 2001, when our rebirth was made possible with a “problem” with our business name renewal with the DTI.
Our original name was Burp Food Enterprises. But we were delayed in renewing the registration of the business. Right there at the desk of the officer, I was given a few minutes to think of the alternative name to replace our old one. That “lightbulb moment” led to the coining of our present name of “Sitsirya sari-sari”. Fate has a way of leading you the way to your destiny!
Problems encountered.
Plenty! Growing pains:
1. Errors in outlet wrong locations. It does not follow that if there plenty of Passers-by, there will be substantial sales. Purchasing or buying capacity is important in evaluating locations.
2. Financial constraints. We could have grown at a faster rate if we had the financial resources.
However, we learned to be prudent and circumspect in our moves. We also availed of loans from friends, relatives, and private financing, paying reasonable interest rates.
Up to now, we do have operational problems, but this is tempered with hands-on management and supervision (by our home-grown group leaders).
Overall, we can say that our survival can be attributed to our being guided by our Mission-Vision, and efforts of taking care of our product quality, and customers. Our “suki’ base has given us the impetus for growth.
Word of mouth advertising has been a reality for us. Constant product improvement (intrinsic quality and packaging) has also contributed to the Sitsirya brand awareness and loyalty.
Our producer-business partners have to be given due credit for having the product quality shared vision, which has anchored our growth.
From our colorful past, we look forward, armed with the same hope and enthusiasm for what is yet to come.
In the near future, we hope to achieve our second tagline, which was created eight years ago : “Food specialties of the Islands… to the World !”
- Ofrace and Era Ocampo
