In 2003, Sofie Aquias has been selling a variety of goods in her sari-sari store in Cogeo, Rizal – rice, fish, and, occasionally, some beverage brands “• until a representative from ARC Refreshments Corporation offered her and her husband, Freddie a dealership opportunity.
Sofie found that a truckload of ARC products was waiting for her to take with only one week to pay for the merchandise, and three months to pay for the “basyo”, or glass bottle cases. The weak-hearted wouldn’t have taken such a risk, but being the business-minded woman that she is, Sofie gambled on the unknown beverage at that time and this, soon, changed her life.
“RC Cola flourished after less than three months. It was sold out right away,” revealed Sofie. “I never expected that the business would grow that fast. Soon, we gave up selling rice, fish, and other products. We started to concentrate on the distribution of ARC products only.”
From owning a small village store, Sofie and Freddie now owns and operates a vital dealership site in Rizal.They deliver ARC products to over fifty sub-dealers located across Antipolo, Cogeo, as well as in some areas in Pasig.Starting with selling only one truckload in 2003, the Aquiases now have 12 trucks and their own warehouse.
“We pick up directly from the warehouse then distribute them to sub-dealers. Then, the latter are the ones who sell to local shops or sari-sari stores. Our customers from before are still our customers now,” said Sofie in describing the strong network and loyalty they were able to build due to healthy business-to-business relations and the robust revenue generated by the cola drink.
For the Aquiases, joining ARC Refreshments Corp. was about making Filipino cola drinkers realize that a refreshing cola, with its crisp, satisfying taste, is more easily within reach. True enough, repeat orders always kept on coming and it was only a matter of time before more Filipinos across neighbourhoods and provinces discovered “RC ng Bayan” – a slogan that aptly reflected Filipinos’ growing love for the cola drink.
They say only consistent hard work keeps a business afloat and thriving. So even with the successes of their booming dealership business, both Sofie and Freddie remained down-to-earth and chose to take a hands-on approach at work. Freddie, in fact, prefers to drive one of their delivery trucks and do daily rounds of pick-up and delivery aside from overseeing warehouse and logistical operations.
“I never expected that we would grow this big,” said Sofie, who continued to share that she never completed her education while growing up in Isabela province. But the rest, as they say, is history. Today, both Freddie and Sofie are entrepreneurs in their own right with a family business in Rizal that they can pass on to their sons and daughters.
“Because of ARC, we were able to build a house and ensure the future of our family,” said Sofie.
In all their successes in life, the Aquiases had one company to thank – ARC Refreshments Corp – which continues to support, guide, and believe in them from then until the present.
Aside from RC Cola, ARC also manufacturers Juicy Lemon, Fruit Soda Orange, Seetrus, Arcy’s Root Beer, Alon, and Rite ‘N Lite. More information is available at https://www.arc.com.ph/.
