Entrepreneur succeeds in fruit stand business

CEBU, Philippines - As a mother of four, Mary Ann Montalbo’s simple wish was to help put food to the table and send her children to school. Thanks to her sidewalk fruit business, she is now living her dream.

Montalbo remembers that as a child, “mamaka mi og tubo, mangguna, mamakyaw og tabla aron makapalit og sud-an nga kaling” but she did not want her kids to go through the same kind of poverty, so 10 years ago, she decided to put up a fruit stand along P. del Rosario St. near Santo Rosario Church.

With persistence and “some sense of business-mindedness”, she was gradually able to sustain their little business. And now, the family already owns a house and a public utility jeepney (PUJ) and is able to eat decent food three times a day.

The income she gets from the business is also used to finance the studies of her kids, one of whom is now in her second year in a private college, taking up an Engineering course.

But Montalbo said the modest success came with a price, sharing that while there were ups, there were also down points along the way that almost sent her to retreat.

She began with a start-up capital of P15,000 which she borrowed from a five-six lending firm, paying very high interest on a monthly basis. There was also one particular instance when robbers ransacked almost all of her supplies to cripple the business.

But she said she did not stop finding ways to rebuild it.

“Pagamay-gamay lang ni tan-awon, pero muhalin mi’g tag P14,000 ang adlaw diri (Our stall may look so small but we actually earn P14,000 in gross profit everyday),” quipped the 43-year-old vendor, who originally came from the mountain barrios in Brgy. Ilihan, Tabogon, Cebu.

Montalbo especially cited Sundays as the very peak days since the masses held at the Church give her business an opportunity to attract a lot of churchgoers.

Mid-week periods, on the other hand, are the most silent days when the business could only manage to make P8,000 in daily gross profit.

She said most of her fruits are sourced from a supplier at the Carbon Public Market, although sometimes, she directly gets her supplies from the “bagsakan” at the pier area where she could save a little by buying in bulk.

The fruits come from different places in Mindanao such as Bukidnon and Davao provinces, among others.

She was also happy to note that she has established credit line with her suppliers, that’s why they are giving her a leeway in paying for the supplies she obtained on account. She clarified, though, that she shows up the next day to pay the credit.

Fruits on her rack include mangoes which are priced at P70 per kilo; apples, P10 per piece; pineapples, P60 per kilo; oranges, P5 per piece; lanzones, P80 per kilo; grapes, P200 per kilo; papaya, P40 per kilo; and guavas, P60 per kilo.

Specifically for this summer, her best-seller is watermelon which can be bought at P30 per kilo. A frozen version is also made available at a retail price of P10.

She said despite the fact that hot season has started, the prices have not relatively changed so far.

As a sidewalk vendor, she is not paying rent for her space, nevertheless, the city government collects P10 from her everyday to be allowed to operate her two stalls.

In addition, Montalbo also said that her fruit stand is now open 24 hours daily because of fear from being robbed again. Most of the sidewalk vendors choose to keep their goods in the same place where they are displayed because of the goods’ perishable nature.

Montalbo has also decided to operate longer this time since her children, who are now off their classes, can relieve her for the night shift. Her second eldest daughter takes charge of the business at night.

Also, the space where her fruit stand is positioned is shared by four other stall-owners so competition for her is always on.

“How you convince customers to buy from your stall is all up to you as long as you don’t sound rude to your fellow-sellers,” she said in Cebuano.

Meanwhile, her husband, who drives their family’s PUJ, makes a profit of P1,200 a day and Montalbo then saves the extra income in the bank. /JOB (FREEMAN)