BizListing
Business with environmental concern
A government employee raising four kids in 1993, Lolita B. Cabanlet established CDO Handmade Paper Crafts as a business highlighting the need to care for the environment.
“I often see landfills filled with plastic junks,” said Lolita B. Cabanlet, who was – in 1993 – eyeing to establish her own business. “I thought, there must be an alternative material (that I can use) that dissolves in waterways and disappears from earth.”
This led to the establishment of CDO Handmade Paper Crafts as a single proprietorship; which eventually evolved to SEC-registered ORO Handmade Innovations Inc. in 2019.
The startup capital was PhP10,000 to buy three blenders.
“I was a government employee with four children when I started making paper using blenders in my kitchen,” she said. And – going back to her concern for the environment – she thought that “abaca or fiber-based paper could be the answer to the problem of plastic solution.”
Lolita’s move proved providential.
“Our products are made of natural fibers and indigenous materials that are renewable and locally-sourced,” she said. “We don’t use artificial or synthetic fabrics in any of our items. We don’t use plastics in all our packaging. We are committed to 100% biodegradable products.”
Lolita added that they also “take conscious effort to ethical sourcing by giving fair market prices to rural and indigenous farmer suppliers.”
They’s reached ROI as early as 2015.
“We were in limbo from 2007-2012 due to the global financial crisis,” she recalled, with the business particularly affected by their exports.
But in the end, things turned out okay.
“Today, there is a growing concern to save Mother Earth and people are more aware compared to the 1990s. This is a big contributory factor to increased sales.”
For people who may want to also open their business, what tips can Lolita give?
“Make sure there is abundance of raw materials, and that you are within the vicinity of your workshop,” she said.
Also, for those looking at exporting (eventually), “attaining critical mass is key.”
To check out or to order the environmentally sustainable products of ORO Handmade Innovations Inc., send an email to info@cdohandmade.com or head to indigenous.ph.