Turning farm waste into beauty and health products

MANILA, Philippines -  Rice is considered a staple food in many parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines.  The grain is a major source of energy but the rice bran or darak is often discarded. One home-grown health and beauty company, however, was able to transform the healing properties of rice bran, considered by many as farm waste, into  beauty and aromatherapy products.

Sherill Ramos Quintana, founder of Oryspa Spa Solutions Inc., spent years studying ways to turn rice bran into products that can soothe the body and soul.  

According to Quintana, a trip to Japan proved fortuitous as it not only allowed her to enjoy the country’s tourist spots but also gave her the inspiration to find more uses for the lowly darak. 

The pretty Oryspa founder said she stumbled upon a sake brewery in Japan and noticed that most of the women working in the brewery still had extraordinarily soft and smooth skin despite their age. This discovery prompted her to make further research on the amazing  benefits of rice bran oil for skin, hair and health. Sake is made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran.

In the course of their research, Quintana and her husband, who once worked for the Philippine Rice Institute, found out that rice bran oil has more nutritional value than the virgin coconut oil.

Inspired by the new knowledge, Quintana created a way to infuse rice bran oil’s vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants into soaps, shampoos, lotions, body scrubs, and pain relief products. From only five, their products grew to 60.

“We started the research in 2008 of rice bran oil, the Oryspa brand was still  under Kutitap back then, but in 2010 we had it registered as a company so I was managing two companies at a time,” Quintana said. 

The addition of new beauty products under the Oryspa brand largely boosted the company. From a small store in SM Calamba in Laguna, the brand was able to conquer the overseas market as demand came pouring  in.  “We had an ROI in eight months and that was very dramatic.  A lot of people have started asking how to sell our product,” Quintana said.

Today, Oryspa is the  country’s  number one producer of 100 percent natural rice bran-based health and beauty products.  The brand was named “Most Promising Franchise” at the 2015 Franchise Excellence Awards and the “ASEAN Business Awards for Excellence in Healthcare” at the ASEAN Business Summit at Vientiane, Laos in 2016. 

Franchise advocate

 Last year, Sherill was named “ASEAN Woman Entrepreneur” in Hanoi, Vietnam, and one of the “Most Inspiring Filipina” of 2016. She was also featured in a book titled the “55 Inspiring stories of women entrepreneurs” by Go Negosyo. 

A sociology graduate of the University of the Philippines Los Banos, she finished her Certified Franchise Executive Course, a mini-MBA in franchising, at the Asian Institute of Management. She is also a trained Gallup USA Strengths Coach.

She was MSME participant and speaker to the World Trade Organization Public Forum on MSME in 2016 and sits in the ASEAN working group of the ASEAN BAC. She is a regular speaker for Seamless Asia, a pioneer mentor of the Mentor Me program of the Department of Trade and Industry, and a Go Negosyo mentor.   She is the founder of the Philippines Green Living Advocacy Movement and president of the Los Banos Tourism Council, and a bona fide member of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Philippine Retailers Association. 

She is a passionate mentor and professional speaker on the topics of entrepreneurship, branding, franchising, and strength-based coaching. She recently launched her book “A Small Entrepreneur’s Journey: How to Start, Survive and Succeed.” 

Franchise Asia Phl 2017 overall chair

Aside from being the director for South Luzon of the PFA,  Quitana is currently the overall chair of the Franchise Asia Philippines 2017.   She said the PFA, most especially its vice chair and Francorp Philippines chief executive officer Ma. Alegria “Bing” Sibal Limjoco, has played a vital role in her company’s exceptional growth.

 “Honestly, PFA paved the way, to everything, about the whole franchise industry in terms of how my brand also flourished. When we talk about Franchise Asia, nothing beats the franchise experience in terms of sharing. I have seen it firsthand and experienced it myself.  We were nothing as brand but we were able to pull it off.  When we entered PFA and joined Franchise Asia, it paved the way for us to realize our dreams, our aspirations to bring it to the next level,” Quintana stressed. 

 “Franchise Asia has been a platform for brands to level up.  I personally can attest.  Oryspa has grown over the years since we launched in this show in 2011.  Making dreams a reality for homegrown brands, the show is not to miss for all entrepreneurs,” she said.

Franchise Asia Philippines 2017, organized by the Philippine Franchise Association, is the biggest four-in-one franchise show in Asia. The country’s longest-running franchise show will feature a two-day international franchise conference (July 19-20), a three-day international franchise expo (July 21-23), the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) program (July 17-18) and educational seminars for aspiring franchisors and franchisees (July  21-23). For inquiries, visit www.franchiseasiaph.com or contact the PFA Secretariat at (02) 687-0365 to 67.