GODDESSES' BLESSING FOR GOOD SKIN (AND INCOME)
The diwata, in Filipino folklore, is a supernatural being that people believed to guard and protect the environment. Just like these beings, the Diwatang Maria Corporation combines love for nature, beauty and the Filipino identity through its premium, organic, eco- friendly beauty essentials.
It was out of love for the concept of the goddesses and the ingenuity of the Filipinos that president and CEO Ma. Concepcion “Macon” Macalintal, who is also an ardent supporter of locally-made products and the Filipino culture, built the brand.
“I quit my career because I knew in my heart I have good products to offer, and I want to reach out to many people who are depressed over their skin conditions, a position I was also in before. I was dreaming big — to sell products that are also environment friendly but very good for the skin,” she said.
Diwatang Maria soaps are named after three Filipina goddesses — Maria Makiling, Maria Sinukuan and Maria Cacao — all created to bestow the gift of glowing skin through natural, paraben- and harm-free ingredients.
Diwatang Maria was no different from the companies that took a huge blow from the economic crisis.
The pandemic, according to Macalintal, was the “biggest hurdle” for their company to move and market its products. “Last April, I was struggling to do everything on my own since I couldn’t let my staff risk their health in delivering the orders. I drove and delivered all the orders even if they were just two or three orders, or sometimes just one soap. I braved all the checkpoints and curfews and, looking back at the past months, I feel really blessed and thankful for all these little wins,” she said.
The hard work bore fruit as resellers from different parts of the globe continue to join the business. Some of them are Macalintal’s former colleagues living in other countries who believe in her passion and genuineness to promote Filipino products.
“This year, Diwatang Maria reached the shores of the Bahamas, Singapore and the United Kingdom. And we are very pleased with the outpour of support of our kababayans in these countries. We also have orders (coming in) from other continents but we will accommodate them next year since our goal for 2020 is to penetrate the Philippine market better this last quarter of 2020,” she said.
Diwatang Maria also launched a Bayanihan Program on its second anniversary to help those whose livelihood was affected by the quarantine and get them back on their feet.
“My heartfelt gratitude to all our resellers who play a big part in the growth of our company. Through the Bayanihan Program, we reached our goal to grow the community of our resellers all over the country.”
Macalintal concluded: “I know it is hard, actually really hard, to see if whatever we are doing will eventually lead us to success. There will be days we want to give up and there will be days that things look okay…we just need to focus on our goal, and that is to succeed.”
Diwatang Maria premium soaps are available in online stores and social media platforms, but it is looking at bigger distribution channels since consumer demands nationwide are also getting bigger.
To know more about Diwatang Maria visit www. diwatangmaria.com or like FB/
diwatangmariaph.