It Looks Like Splenda. Its Use is Like Splenda. But It Is Not Splenda. . . Say Hello to Suchero!!

Suchero sachets (courtesy of the Churner Group Inc).

In defense of Refined Sugar, there's been a lot of bad press on artificial sweeteners.  Sucaryl of years back had saccharin which was cancerous. Equal had to battle bad internet posts that it affected the brain but was never proven.  Some sweeteners were good for coffee but not for cooking (aftertaste they say).  Splenda was made of chemicals or at least had it.  And so, if sugar causes diabetes and artificial sweeteners were bad for the body,  how am I supposed to enjoy my brewed Java?

Enter Suchero made of Coco Sugar (as in from the coconut tree).  I asked Ms. Marie de Guia, Business Development Manager of the Churner Group Inc., the Suchero maker, that if Suchero is made from the cocomut tree, is it not high in saturated fats as the US companies are complaining versus the Phil Coconut Industry?  She then explained to me that Coco Sugar, main component of Suchero, comes from the sap of the flower of the coconut tree while the saturated fat is mostly found in the nut of the coconut tree.

courtesy of the Churner Group Inc.

They sell two kinds of Suchero-- a Premium one with a tan color and a Regular with a brown sugar-like hue.

In powder foil packs (courtesy of the Churner Group Inc)

Premium on the left & Regular on the right (courtesy of the Churner Group Inc)

By the way, I would like to invite you to visit my Sulit Homepage as there are some business opportunities that you guys might be able to help me out with.  If you are interested, just click the Sulit Logo below:

Watch Out Purefoods, CDO and Swift. Here Comes the Invasion of the Bruneian Meat Guys!!!

During the IFEX 2011 held recently at the SMX, I saw a huge booth enclosure housing products from Brunei.  While some looked like local products, the one that caught my eye is the display of meat products. I was not able to taste the product but their packaging looked like imported meat products as the pics will show.

Very American in their packaging (courtesy of PDS Meat Industries)

Same color scheme as imported Taco Shells box (courtesy of PDS Meat Industries)

courtesy of PDS Meat Industries

courtesy of PDS Meat Products

Entrance to Brunei booth

Our backyard small business owners will suffer a hit!

For a while, you would think they're like See's brand

What would UFC & Mama Sita say? (courtesy of Cinta)

What would our backyard businessmen say?

Am not sure if the above products will be offered locally but maybe they should as Purefoods and Swift Hotdogs etc are pricey to say the least.  In fact, that's why most of the sales growth in processed meat category are coming from Regional producers like Mekene, Cabanatuan Meat, Nan's, Pamapanga's Best etc.

For the small business entrepreneur, maybe we can be dealers of these Brunei products.

By the way, I would like to invite you to visit my Sulit Homepage as there are some business opportunities that you guys might be able to help me out with.  If you are interested, just click the Sulit Logo below:

IFEX 2011: Fixing Sugar's Bad-for-the-Health Image. Muscavado Rocks.

High Blood Sugar leading to eventual Diabetes is the silent scourge of today's society.  During the International Food Expo 2011 or IFEX at the SMX, there were many sugar-substitutes and artificial sugar on offer.

Still claiming to be Sugar but somewhat more healthy is Muscovado Rocks.  They claim to be healthier than white refined sugar because during the refining process, dangerous chemicals are added to the sugar to clean and refine it.

Muscovado Rocks is supposed to make your brewed coffee taste much better.  I tried the Rocks on its own and makes for a fine tasting candy.

courtesy of Raw Brown Sugar Milling Co Inc

Available in Jars or Foil Packs (courtesy of Raw Sugar Milling Co Inc.

courtesy of Raw Sugar Milling Co Inc.

 While there is a definite trend to offering Healthier alternatives to an existing product, the small business entrepreneur must be able to support the perceived health benefits with actual clinical results and not just marketing hype, that is tastes good with no bitter aftertaste and be sure of his pricing structure. Many health products are priced so expensive that only the elite can enjoy it.  There is nothing wrong if the small business targets that high A Market but he has to be sure there is enough volume to make his small business profitable.



By the way, I would like to invite you to visit my Sulit Homepage as there are some business opportunities that you guys might be able to help me out with.  If you are interested, just click the Sulit Logo below:

IFEX 2011: Healthy Variant of a Street Food. Sisig Anyone?

courtesy of Golden Mushroom

courtesy of Golden Mushroom

During my walk of the International Food Expo 2011 or IFEX held at the SMX, I noticed a trend of offering healthy versions of Street food. When we talk about Street food, it is usually associated with oily, spicy, sizzling fried food with beer.

Maybe we want to still enjoy such street or comfort food but are guilty of the detrimental effect on our health. Even snacks or tsitsirya have so-called health versions (no transfat, no msg, baked and not fried, low salt etc)

I present you Mushroom Sisig and Mushroom Tempura.

Golden Mushroom presented Health benefits of his

 Sisig variant

 For the micro-businessman, he probable could study the habits of his own kids and of his office mates and observe what they are eating for different parts of their life (breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee break, merienda, parties etc) and maybe come up with a not-so-new snack food that people can still relate.  The entrepreneur must make sure that it Tastes Good and has the same effect of the traditional (spicy, maybe somewhat salty, good to go with beer and coke, etc) to achieve market acceptance.

The sad thing is that many small business, in their rush to come out in the market with their new packaging and flashy ads, forget that the product still has to taste good to the eventual buyer.

By the way, I would like to invite you to visit my Sulit Homepage as there are some business opportunities that you guys might be able to help me out with.  If you are interested, just click the Sulit Logo below:

IFEX 2011: Sometimes You Have to Offer the Same Product but in a Different Form. Am Talking About the Bangus.

courtesy of Alenter Food inc.

I did not know that it was possible to have other ways of serving Bangus apart from what we get from Dencio's, Gerry's and Bangus Restaurants but there are, appaently.  But I think these samples are for the Export Market.

Bangus in Olive Oil (courtesy of Alenter Food Inc.

Bangus Adobo & Teriyaki (courtesy of Anjo Farm)

Bangus Pate (courtesy of Alenter Food Inc.) 

 

 

 

Bagoong (courtesy of Anjo Farm)

The point is that for the microbusinessman or entrepreneur, there will always be a way to break into the market despite the presence of the market veterans.  Maybe it will be a tougher market but there probably is a NICHE that could match your capabilities and skills.  I guess for me, I should not give up.


By the way, I would like to invite you to visit my Sulit Homepage as there are some business opportunities that you guys might be able to help me out with.  If you are interested, just click the Sulit Logo below:

IFEX 2011: What Kind of Sea Creature is a Nemipterid? What is a Slipmouth?

In serving the Export Market, I learned that one has to adopt the standards of your target market, obviously. I came across this booth selling delicacies. For local markets, their packaging was just to place them in plain translucent plastic but for the export market, they had to use more attractive packaging and they had to change or translate the name of the product to something that can be understood by foreign buyers.

In answer to the questions posted in the Post title of this article, "Nemipterid" is the Bisugo fish while the "Slipmouth" is our Sapsap. Somehow, the local names sound more delicious. Nemipterid sounds like a sea serpent in the Pirates of the Carribean.

courtesy of Miki's

By the way, I would like to invite you to visit my Sulit Homepage as there are some business opportunities that you guys might be able to help me out with.  If you are interested, just click the Sulit Logo below:

courtesy of Miki's 

Milko Bows Out of Our Mall. A Victim of Competition.

courtesy of Milko Ice Cream

I just found out that the Milko Ice Cream stand in our Mall was no longer there.  After about 3 years of operation since the time the Mall opened, they finally had called it quits. 

It is sad because I knew the people manning the Milko stand.  I used to buy two orders of 2-scoops for my staff of 2 especially when it became hot in our part of the Mall.  According to my operator, the girls still do not have a job.

During their first year when Milko was selling at P10 per cone, they were selling up to P12,000 per day!!! Then, they had to raise prices to P12 per cone just about the time that Mang Inasal across the Milko stand started offering their own Pinoy Ice Cream at P10 per cone.  That was when Milko sales crashed to just P8,000 per day.

This year, 2011, Pinoy Ice Scramble set-up shop just 2 stalls from the Milko Stand and I think that was what sealed their fate as Pinoy Ice Scramble was selling at P10 and P17 a cup and kids would just flock there.  Compounding Milko's woes were the occasional promotional sales by Selecta and Nestle at P5 per cone and people would really line-up for it.

It really is hard to successfully start a good business only to see it die of natural causes and you cannot seem to do anything about it.

By the way, I would like to invite you to visit my Sulit Homepage as there are some business opportunities that you guys might be able to help me out with.  If you are interested, just click the Sulit Logo below: