The Bushveld Kitchen was established by husband and wife Paul and Mary Jane Theunissen in July 2020 with around PhP30,000 capital. Covid-19 pushed them to start the business, actually, since Paul is a foreigner and relied on contracts abroad to earn income while here; and all contracts came to a stop due to Covid-19. They also had to make a living for their two sons, Joe Carlos and Paul Jr.

The business, said Paul, is “something that is unique that you don’t (commonly) find in the Philippines (since it offers) authentic South African delicacies.”

Looking back, Paul said they didn’t think they’d become business people. Yeah, they loved eating the dishes; but it never occurred to them “I’ll make it for an income,” he smiled.

There is continuous learning.

For instance, “getting the right meat for the product. Specific cuts are needed for each product. If you don’t get the right cut, it will not come out as the same product you find in South Africa. It will either be chewy when it comes to the Biltong and Droewors, or too dry and no taste when it comes to the wors.”

But they learned “to demand the right cuts from the butcher.”

Has the business reached ROI?

“If it was not for daily expenses to pay for the bills and buy food, it will be a profitable company. I’m sure in another year’s time I’ll reach my goal to have enough customers,” Paul said. But “slowly the company is growing… with new customers wanting to try the products. I have a lot of customers that return weekly to buy again. Some come back monthly.”

But yeah, this is a profitable venture, he smiled.

And for people who may want to also open their business, what tips can Paul give?

“Don’t be scared to work hard,” Paul said. “A lot of time and effort will reap the benefits.”

If you want to get in touch with The Bushveld Kitchen, contact them through WhatsApp or Viber 09062252996; Facebook account @thebushveldkitchen; or email thebushveldkitchen@gmail.com.

By Chef Kin – an online bakery – was opened in May 2020, with a startup capital of approximately P100,000.

“I am a chef at an airline catering company,” said Rankin Cailles, who was ” used to (being) in the kitchen most of the time.” But then the lockdowns came, and “I was not used to being idle.” Itching to do something, “that’s when I started to bake breads and pastries at home.”

Cailles said that his family inspires him; ditto great chefs such as Alain Ducasse, Dominique Ansel and Gordon Ramsey.

But looking back now, “honestly, I was focused on being an employee for quite sometime,” said Cailles, who graduated from Enderun Colleges with a Bachelor’s degree in International Hospital Management major in Culinary Arts. But then “I had the time to bake and create new products.”

Here’s the thing, though: work re-started already for Cailles.

And so, he said, “right now, my biggest challenge is time. Since work resumed, I usually bake when I get home.” His wife – who also looks after their kid – helps out, along with her brother who is also studying culinary.

Cailles said that “in our less than a year operation, I can say it’s a profitable venture.” In fact, “yes, we already reached ROI; but we’re planning to purchase new equipment for efficiency.”

This is why – he stressed – going into business should be considered by people.

“I say go for it even if you have a hectic schedule. Make time because I learned a lot from starting By Chef Kin,” Cailles said. “It’s a continuous learning process for me.”

Interested to try the offerings of By Chef Kin? Head to FB: https://www.facebook.com/bychefkin or IG: https://www.instagram.com/bychefkin/.

Mad Pastry PH – a small and local food brand located at Santa Rosa City, Laguna – was started in the last quarter of 2020, with initial capital of around PhP70,000 to PhP100,000 to cover the equipment, baking tools, kitchen renovation and packaging materials.

It may just be new (since the business started selling on December 10), but Lloyd Jeremy Matias can say in hindsight that “during this time of pandemic, I discovered a lot of things about myself, and that includes the talent of baking. At first, it was just a hobby – baking cookies and brownies – and then sharing them only to my family and friends.” 

Lloyd is a graduate of Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Engineering, which is really not aligned with baking; and “I came from a typical Filipino family, raised by parents who always inspires us to study, do well in school in order to find good paying jobs and the thought of business was really not taught,” he said. So “I was afraid to take risks.”

But then “there were a lot of positive feedbacks about my cookies.” It helped that his sister started giving out cookies – without Lloyd knowing of this – and these random people like what they got.

“I realized (that) maybe I should start trying online business, since it is trending nowadays. That is my trigger point on why I started this business,” Lloyd said.

Choosing this industry in particular, he added, was easy. “Food is essential and everyone loves food,” Lloyd said.

It’s only been weeks since the business started, so ROI has yet to be attained.

But “I am really hoping that this will be profitable. The reception of people is really overwhelming and I hope this continues since we will also continue improving our products and services,” Lloyd said.

So far, the only challenge for Lloyd is time. 

“I didn’t quite expect the number of orders coming our way on our first week of selling. We are overwhelmed by the acceptance of our customers and we do not have the right system and the right approach yet,” he said. “But of course, with extra brain and extra hands, nothing is impossible. I will commend my family for really helping me overcome… challenges.”

And for people who may want to also open their business, what tips can Lloyd give?

“Find your passion. Try exploring things aligned to your passion. Seek for business opportunities that is linked to that passion because nothing beats the feeling of doing what you really love and gaining something from it than doing things just for the sake of money,” Lloyd said. “Do whatever makes you happy.”

For more information or to order from Mad Pastry PH, head to Facebook or Instagram @madpastryph; call/text 09338649797; or email madpastry.ph@gmail.com.