Of heartbreak, pandemic struggle and a promising pâté enterprise
AHEARTACHE could be a real tough battle in life. One may end up like a loser, dwelling on swirling sense of desperation. But if one moves on and focus on personal growth, the next chapter could definitely be a life-changing victory.
Pawn Benik Angeles, founder and marketing director of The Charcutier Manila, had his own share of life’s roller coaster ride. Broke not only by heart but pocket-wise, too, it challenged him to rise from this experience. Surprisingly, it took only a chicken liver to do so.
“It all started when my ex left me broke with me two years ago,” he told the Businessmirror about how his gourmet food business that offers pâté or spread began from a heartbreaking past.
Feeling lost at that time, Angeles recalled that he didn’t know how to start again without a single centavo in his bank account.
“I was supposed to organize a music festival but then came the pandemic. I almost surrendered. I was so depressed. I was thinking that time what my ex told me: That I have nothing to achieve in life. I don’t want that to happen. So it drove me to think of a business. I want to establish my own brand that he will always see whenever he goes to a convenient store or a supermarket,” he said in mixed Filipino and English.
From heartbreak to breakthrough business
DUE to a glut of gourmet products in the market, Angeles could not think of something new to invest into. But not until he saw the vlog of television personality Korina Sanchez and entrepreneur Small Laude doing their home made chicken liver pâté for their gathering. This opened his eyes to a promising enterprise that’s not saturated yet in the market.
“Spreads as a business is very versatile because it can be used for personal consumption and it’s also perfect as a gift,” said the marketing director. “I truly believe that this type of business has a lot of potential, especially if you are offering something that was crafted with utmost care and love.”
To make his idea into a reality, he had Era Lorenzo Cruz in mind to turn to. They met in 2016 when the latter, who was then a part-time model, worked with him during his heyday in the events organizing field.
When Angeles first approached him in July of 2020, Cruz confirmed that he knows how to make a chicken liver pâté—thanks to his culinary degree from St. Benilde. Luckily at that time, he was also thinking of a fallback since the pandemic had impacted his career in modeling. So it was not difficult to get him onboard.
“The emergence of Covid-19 last year really affected the industry which is my main source of income. That made me decide to think of a business that’s not just what I want but also what I think has potential to grow and succeed,” shared Cruz, founder and recipe developer and creator of The Charcutier Manila.
From then on until August of last year, they conceptualized their business brand and logo, as well as looked for the right suppliers. They even delegated their respective tasks to run their first foray together in the food business.
During the product development and testing stage, Cruz, who lives in Quezon City, would do the cooking and bottling. He would then send them to Angeles’s place in Makati for packaging.
“We try to make it as authentic as possible,” he said of his own take of the famous French delicacy. “We made a few adjustments from our first recipe until we got the perfect consistency and taste. We also added natural preservatives to make the shelf life longer.” Apart from whipping up their final products, they also ironed out things in so far as the operations were concerned prior to the launch of their business. This was made easy with the rapport they developed during the process.
“What I love about our partnerships is we both are affable. Our mind and vision always meet that’s why we don’t have any argument when it comes to discussing the details of our business,” Angeles pointed out.
Trade kick off, take off
WITH only two months in preparations, The Charcutier Manila was officially launched in September 2020. Because most industries like the food sector were restricted in terms of operation, if not totally closed at the height of the lockdown periods during the time, the co-owners had no choice but to offer them to their relatives and friends, as well as through the social media.
Fortunately, with the help of inf luencers, they received many orders for their gourmet spreads—chicken Liver Pâté and Pesto Cream Cheese— that the buyers gave away as Christmas gifts. This could be mainly attributed to the constant high quality of their products, complemented by proper sanitation and food hazard analysis from preparation to packaging.
“Aside from having a consistent great spreadable texture, our clients say that it has a well-balanced f lavor. Our pâté specifically gets a lot of compliment because there’s no bitter after taste to it which is quite common to pâté that hasn’t been cleaned properly,” Cruz explained.
Given the favorable reception, the business indeed has finally taken off. In the first few months, it received around 10 to 15 orders within 30 days.
The business partners also had expanded their offerings with the addition of the Truff le Cheese Spread on their menu. Meanwhile, the Grazing box was made available only for the holidays and big events.
It also did not take long to recoup their initial investment of P5,000 as they already raked in around P300,000 in the first three months, which was used to register and roll out the business.
Albeit high on the unexpected initial positive response to their offerings, then came an overwhelming challenge when a big company ordered 800 jars of strawberry jam and 800 packs of toasted baguettes. Without a blink on their eyes, they accepted it even though these weren’t included in their menu.
Conceding the difficulties they had from sourcing out the strawberries for cooking and packing the orders, they still managed to accomplish the task and meet the one-week deadline with the assistance of some helpers they contracted. Angeles said: “It was during the first week of January 2021. What a great way to open the year. We were able to deliver on time and our clients liked our products.”
Business at present and beyond
AMID reports that many enterprises—both old and new—have folded up due to lockdowns and economic slowdown, The Charcutier Manila remains in the business amid the ensuing global pandemic.
“In terms of sales, we are doing pretty well,” the marketing director said, while citing that the weekly orders for their gourmet products now reach up to 20 jars, with Truffle Cheese Spread as the best-selling variant, followed by Chicken Liver Pâté and Pesto Cream Cheese, respectively.
Angeles believes that this is all because of their business strategy, sponsored ads timing, competitive pricing, and outstanding quality and taste.
“Actually we got a lot of inquiries also because of that bulk order,” he emphasized, while referring to the irresistible special order from the said big firm, which they intend to do occasionally upon request.
“I think it’s because it shows our capacity as a business and it shows that our clients trust us. We‘re even more surprised seeing big television personalities and celebrities ordering from us again and again,” he added.
Not complacent of their trade success early on, the co-owners are determined enough to spread their wings further in the gourmet food business, with bold expansion strategies to compete with other leading brands in the market.
Internally, a mini office and physical store of The Charcutier Manila is expected to be built this year, according to him. The start-up, per the marketing director, plans to distribute its products nationwide, especially in major provinces, as it seeks to supply to some hotels and restaurants, as well as penetrate further the gift giving and corporate giveaway market.
“We are already on the process of doing that,” Angeles bared. “All we need is determination, patience and proper marketing strategy and in time who knows, we might be a household brand. That’s our goal— to come up with a world-class Filipino-made products that we can be proud of.”
Setting their sights beyond the pandemic’s horizon, the business partners look forward to sustain the company’s growth in the long run and secure its future amid uncertainties as to when the Covid-19 will end.
“We know that it’s not going to be easy but we are doing our best to develop our business in all aspects. We are always in search of a new product to offer to our clients. Managementwise, we see to it that we absorb all the learnings from our past experiences since the beginning of our journey and use it as a fuel to improve for the better,” Cruz stressed.