Twenty five years in business!

JM Poultry and Livestock Supply celebrated its Silver Anniversary last Feb. 28, 2009 at the Mediterranean Room of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

In 1985, my colleague in the veterinary profession and his wife, an animal nutritionist left their well-paying jobs in one of the Philippines’ largest conglomerates to open a small store in Mandaue City. Very bold decision to move from the relative comforts of employment in a very stable company to the unpredictable world of business!

If they were Filipinos of Chinese ancestry, such decision would seem a natural consequence of their childhood indoctrination to the culture of business by their parents. Cradle languages are Mathematics, Economics and Accounting (single-entry?). Childhood years are spent inside the store, handling merchandise, entertaining customers, packaging purchased goods and handling money. They go to college, earn degrees, often start to work in another company to gain experience but eventually start their own business.

Many Filipinos, on the other hand, have the orientation of getting an employment. They dream to be in the service professions like lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, accountants and lately, this includes the desire to be a nurse. To go on business is a far fetched idea because most have “no capital” to go to business.

My fraternity brod and his wife, Dr. Avelino de Manuel and Mrs. Elenita de Manuel, are typical Filipinos: they earned degrees and sought employment. But they have the qualities of the Filipinos of Chinese ancestry, the entrepreneurial spirit. They opened a small shop servicing the veterinary and nutritional requirements of poultry and livestock farms. They started from scratch; they became the driver, the bodegero, salesman, clerk, delivery boy, collector besides their respective professions as veterinarian and animal nutritionist. With a little help from relatives and big help from friends, they acquired the necessary credit references for that elusive “capital.” Later, they began to make animal feeds called Unifeeds, starting with a shovel in their garage.

Today, that tiny store has 43 branches (as of 12 noon, April 4!) throughout the Philippines and that “shovel” has become, excuse me, a multi-million dollar four-story, state-of-the-art feed mill plant producing 8,000 tons of feed a month.

Time to enjoy and relax a bit to celebrate this success with an invitation to relatives, close friends and a select group of customers for an evening of fellowship; attire was the best of 80s.

As usual, your favorite food columnist moved in to survey the battlefield, I mean the food display for photo opportunity, with a glass of wine at hand. And my beloved followers know I will taste every single dish: Deep fried Pork Wanton with Sweet and Spicy sauce, Cheese Tomato and Bacon Toast & Mesculen Salad with Dressing, Stir-fry Pork Loin with Mushroom & Taiwan Pechay (my favourite that night!) and Roasted Five Spice Chicken. Small portions lang, per advice of my personal physician who could not believe at the start that one of my jobs was to eat!

Soup was Sweet Corn and dessert was a triumvirate: Orange Bavaroise, Ube Roulade Cake and Leche Flan. And I was ready for my favourite drink, a glass of single malt scotch whiskey while entertained by media colleague, Jude Bacalso’s song numbers.

After several rounds of the drink, I think I am ready for the 50th Anniversary. Happy Easter, everyone!