Obby del Rosario: Fisher Mall’s grocer

MANILA, Philippines - With his looks, he could have easily given local male celebrities a run for their money.  His background and personal history, however, made Roberto “Obby” del Rosario choose to be in a place closer to his heart — the food business. 

Only 25 years old and the son of Irma Fishing founder Roberto “Bobby” del Rosario, Obby was born and raised in the United States.  He is now the president and CEO of  Fisherfoods Inc. which will be running the Supermarket in Fisher Mall.  

It was his personal choice to stay in the US for a while even after his father asked him to move back to the Philippines when he was a teenager.  It was a difficult decision for his father to let him stay,  but Obby wouldn’t have it another way.  He was bent on living in the US in order to experience what he could do in the country of his forebears.  

“I always wanted to be independent, which created some interesting situations in my upbringing.  It’s a little frustrating to make sense of the world at that age, and it’s equally frustrating to accept life as it is and not be able to do much about it.  But even then, I’d already decided to be independent,” Obby emphasized.

Life in the US

While in the US, Obby consciously exerted efforts to learn the ropes of real life. He stayed with a guardian, studied, worked, and got involved in a sport — wrestling.  He took wrestling seriously in the 8th grade and before he knew it, he was competing with the best in High School.  He was ranked #1 for points scored on his high school team, and was also the #1 ranked wrestler for his weight class in all of  Orange County, California.

While growing up, however, he did not live a very comfortable life.  He also learned first hand that many of his friends had very little in life.  He knew their hardships well enough to say that he was one with them in going through their tribulations.

Because of his background and the discipline wrestling inculcated in him, he was driven to succeed.  Unlike most people his age, he looked forward to working and earning his keep.  

Obby remembered the day he turned 18 years old. He recalled that it was a Thursday and he started working immediately on a full time basis the following day for an insurance company in the United States.

 He started in the file department where he worked for 12 hours a day placing letters in envelopes to be mailed to thousands of policymakers. The minimum wage at that time was $8.25 an hour so he made around $99 a day. 

 After a year in the file department, he was moved to casualty underwriting and worked his way up to assistant manager.  However the choice to work and study full time didn’t come easy for Obby.  Through his background in wrestling, he was offered a sports scholarship by Columbia University in New York, an Ivy League school.  He turned down the offer, though, and opted to work and be independent rather than relying on sports and student loans.

 He juggled 16 units in college, including two online classes, and 55 hour work weeks. After doing this for two years, Obby reduced his school load to 12 units until he completed his degree.   

“The important thing for me there was that I didn’t want to get any loans.  I didn’t want to owe anyone anything, including my family. I didn’t want to rely on anything but my own two hands. That’s why I decided to drop wrestling and work,” Obby explained. 

“A lot of people think it’s a burden to work, but throughout my whole life I could not wait to start working.  It’s such an opportunity to go out there, make a living for yourself, and compete in the business world.  It’s an opportunity to wake up and work everyday.  It’s a blessing.  For me, to be able to do that on my own, is something I really cherish,” he added. 

Family first

Moving to the Philippines was farthest from Obby’s mind, but when his father went to the US and asked him to come back to the Philippines, he agreed.  He said this was the least he could do since his father has always offered a helping hand, and it was Obby’s decision to be independent in the states. 

“He told me that this would be my opportunity to get to know all of the other members of our family in the Philippines, as well as contribute to our family business. In my mind, it was now or never.”  

Obby arrived in the Philippines in February this year with his American fiancee, Mallory, who now helps in Fisher Mall’s finance department.  He said his father has been planning Fisher Mall for the past 10 years, but adding a Supermarket to the mall was a recent decision. 

 His father asked Obby to head the Supermarket department of the mall.  He decided he fits the role, recounting that throughout his stay in the US, he was exposed to various ethnic groups and cultures. Thus he has learned to cook different kinds of food, especially Italian cooking, from the friends and families he met throughout his teenage days as a young wrestler.  The families he met along the way taught him family recipes, cooking secrets, and old fashioned American values, all of which he still carries with him to this day.  Obby adds, â€œgood cooking and good supermarkets go hand in hand.”

 â€œWhen he said it, I knew right away it (the Supermarket) would be the right fit for me. Because the supermarket I envision and want to run is one that caters to different kinds of people.  It’s one that offers good prices, a good selection, and staple products that all families need,” he enthused. 

 Obby noted that there are families, particularly those from lower income brackets, who live on a day to day basis.  They are the ones who live on low wages and can afford only so much for their food needs.  He said Fisher Mall’s Supermarket will also be for them since its food items, specifically its fish, are affordable as well as fresh. 

“You don’t understand what money means until you don’t have any.  You don’t understand what it means to be truly hungry until you actually experienced it.  So when my dad asked me to run our supermarket, I wanted to provide staple products at competitive prices because that’s what people in those situations need,” Obby stressed.   

A new supermarket

 Obby said Fisher Mall’s Supermarket will be different, with its stores very upfront with the needs of shoppers, and it will be without the usual noises and distractions found in most supermarkets.  

He also added that the supermarket will feature a “paluto” station where busy customers could take their pick from a wide array of fresh seafood and have it cooked by chefs.  

Working mothers who want to avoid long lines at other supermarkets will find it easier to shop at Fisher Mall’s Supermarket as its milk and diaper section will have its own counters. “We’re also working with suppliers to provide exciting ‘diaper deals’ on different brands every month.”  

Because Fisher Mall is regarded as “the mall that galunggong built,” Obby said the supermarket will feature a 40-square meter aquarium style live fish section where kids and the young at heart can view various marine animals. 

Fisher Mall’s Supermarket in Quezon City will open its doors to the public on December 10.  It will also regularly open earlier, at 7 a.m., so that customers can immediately buy the fresh produce they need.