Successful entrepreneurs trace success to SM

MANILA, Philippines - Being an entrepreneur is no easy task, especially in a competitive environment that hardly leaves any room for budding players. To survive the ever tougher competition, small and medium enterprises, (SMEs) seek the guidance and support of “big brothers” in the industry.

SM, one of the most experienced big brothers in the market, is more than willing to give such new players a helping hand. SM Food Retail – comprised of SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, and Savemore Market – has been instrumental in the success of some of today’s successful entrepreneurs.

Arlene Causing and Cecilia Causing of CG Causing Seafood Center 1, a fish brokerage based in the Iloilo Fishing Port, recall how SM helped their company reach new heights. “By partnering with SM, many opportunities were opened, and it widened the scope of our business as we expanded from Iloilo to Negros Island.” CG Causing Seafood Center 1 started supplying their first SM outlet in SM Iloilo in 1999. They have also expanded to distributing to SM Supermarket and Savemore stores in Iloilo and Bacolod, supplying the freshest fish like managat, blue marlin, tanigue and other seafood.

“One of the advantages of being in partnership with SM is the integrity that comes with it. That makes it quite easy to do transactions with banks and other financial institutions.” Cecilia Causing says it’s a privilege to be an SM supplier. It has lifted her company status, making it easy for her company to apply for loans because of the confidence that financial institutions have in it.”

Another SM partner, A Mark Trading and General Merchandise, a company founded by Isabelita Mauricio, grew its business to reach Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. What started as a small operation has now yielded various manufacturing machines and delivery trucks with a little help from SM. “Ever since I started supplying to SM, my brand has been recognized in the market. With my sales slowly increasing, I expanded and hired more people,” she says. A Mark Trading and General Merchandise has been supplying ingredients such as pepper, atsuete (annatto) and laurel leaves to SM since 2005.

The same growth was experienced by the famous Dad’s Special Pinangat, founded and owned by Ronaldo Moyo Nicerio. Pinangat is a concoction made from coconut meat, coconut milk, seafood, spices, and taro. The dish, perfected in Bicol, can now be enjoyed in Manila thanks to its presence in many SM Supermarkets and Savemore Markets. “We started to supply Savemore in 2010,” Nicerio says, adding that 70 percent of their total sales come from SM.

Manuel F. Martinez of F. Martinez & Co. Inc., who has been an SM supplier since the 1980s, attributes his company’s success to SM’s position as the “leader in the retail business.” Martinez says SM is capable of marketing. the products of its suppliers well. “It (SM Food Retail) has pushed our company to produce better and high quality products.”

CG Causing, A Mark Trading and General Merchandise, Dad’s Pinangat, and F. Martinez & Co. Inc. are just some of the thousands of business partners of SM Food Retail.

With their products placed side by side with those of bigger and more popular brands like Unilever and Nestle, they have an equal opportunity to reach the Filipino market.