Mama Mia Sanchez joined the growing ranks of “mompreneurs” when she set up a small home-based business trying to make both ends meet after she lost her job eight years ago.
Sanchez recalled how 2015 was not a good time for her and her family. As a solo parent, she admitted how terrified she was without a fallback.
“Imagine how scared I was, thinking how I could provide for my two kids who are still schooling. I was never prepared for such circumstances, and that time was literally a nightmare. It was dreadful and I was forced to face it, fright and all,” she said.
For the longest time, Sanchez worked in the academe doing sales and promotions. Her last stint as a training provider ended when the company she was working for decided to streamline its workforce, and she was among those who were let go.
Though shaken by the prospect of an unreliable future, her bravado was never broken. The single thing she thought she was capable of doing is trying to maximize her talent for cooking, which is what she did by putting to good use a food mixer which was a parting gift from co-workers in her previous company.
Her small pastry venture started to take off, mindful of how critical customers could be in this time of health consciousness and hype on physical wellness. So she thought hard on how she could manage to provide sweet snacks minus sweetness overload.
Mama Mia’s Sweet Delights turns common pastries into unusual sweets by using natural ingredients and sweeteners that are available in her Cabuyao neighborhood in Laguna province.
There was no regret that she was not able to capitalize on her Agriculture degree, Sanchez said, but she somehow managed to incorporate part of learnings from the university into her food business.
With the separation pay she got from her previous job, she set out to put up a small snack nook at the facade of her home where she sold snacks like siomai, sandwiches and burgers, alongside pastries and home-prepped condiments.
Sanchez bakes several variants of banana bread, infusing vegetables like squash into the process. Her tablea brownies and calamansi crinkles are also a hit, especially among local tourists who brings home with them her products as presents or “pasalubong.”
While her pastries are one-of-a-kind, competition for baked goodies was tight as many home-based bakers surfaced during the pandemic. To survive, she branched off to making bottled goodies such as gourmet tuyo when a friend gave her a bunch of dried fish during the pandemic. Home-prepped chili garlic sauce and gourmet tinapa were added to her growing home-processed food selection.
Aside from her innate cooking skills and her novel pastry ideas, what helped Sanchez the most, were the short courses she took with Maya Kitchen that greatly enhanced her skills as a cook and a baker.
“There were many trial and errors along the way. I absorbed all of them as part of the learning process. Pandemic was never dull for me. It was a time of great learning. While the days were slow, I took it as a welcome period to improve myself and strengthen the only business I know by heart,” she said.
Before the pandemic, her first customers were family, relatives and friends, and then order came pouring through word of mouth. Some local companies expressed interest to buy her products, but her lack of proper credentials as a legitimate and registered enterprise became a stumbling block to more sales and to expanding her customer base.
“I realized I needed to step up my game if I am to pursue this path for the rest of my life. As a business owner, I know I need to get the necessary permits and certification in place, so I registered with the Department of Trade and Industry in 2017 but it took two years to get the permits I needed. But after that, the DTI has never let go of my hand. Without the DTI, It would be difficult for me to scale-up. They have been so helpful in so many ways,” she said.
Part of the assistance she received from the DTI are trainings. Sanchez was a graduate of Kapatid Mentor Me Program and several trainings that benefit micro enterprises.
She also did the rounds of product and trade fairs both in the LGU level and in bazaars sponsored by the DTI. She has attended at least 10 trade fairs in Luzon and is very keen to penetrate the markets of Visayas and Mindanao, if given the chance.
She also joined the Small Medium Enterprise Roving Academy program of DTI Laguna through Negosyo Center Cabuyao City. SMERA is continuous learning program designed to help MSMEs become more competitive in domestic and international markets with a set of business modules tailored to the needs of business enterprises.
Amid the pandemic, Sanchez took on the challenge to join the One Town, One Product Next Gen Program in 2020. Through OTOP, she was able to level up the quality of her products and come up with new or better offerings.
With skills learned and practices developed, Sanchez dreamt of having her own cafe in the near term, where she can consolidate all her products in one formal setting while rendering a free shelf for the products of her friends who are also micro-entrepreneurs. A social enterprise is what she is actually excitedly planning for.
Her idea of a cafe is not limited to serving food only. The plan is to have an open kitchen that will welcome people who are willing to learn baking and other food preparation processes. A designated part of the cafe will also sell bakery needs and equipment, more like a one-stop-shop.
Currently, Mama Mia’s Sweet Delights supplies part of the shelf keeping units of a pasalubong center in UP Los Baños. Sanchez continues to take bulk orders that add to her sales.
Working solo, Sanchez started training her youngest child on small administrative work and run errands for her. She said she is very grateful to her son for the support he gives her. Already in Grade 9, he can manage small business stuff that otherwise would have burdened Sanchez as she does all the business processes herself—from the procurement of ingredients, processing, baking and cooking, down to packaging and marketing.
“I believe it is good training for our children to involve them in our business. It makes them aware of the sacrifices we endure for them. That alone will build a certain degree of resiliency in them, a gift that cannot be monetized. A gift only a mother can give their children,” she said.
Sanchez depicts herself as a simple person leading a simple life, but what makes her outstanding is her dedication to her children and her religious beliefs. She continues to devote part of herself to Sunday service and by rendering her voice as part of the church chorale.
In fact, one of her loyal customers is a sister from the church choir who has been supporting her business over the last seven years. This friend orders her tablea brownies and gives them to fellow churchgoers whenever there are events in the church.
For Sanchez, the weekend is just another part of a hectic week, but Sundays are special to her since this is only day in a week when she gets to observe her religious obligation and spend time with her family.
She admitted she has never travelled much as money is still an issue, but she likes spending time with friends or go on a food trip with family.
This Mother’s Day, Sanchez celebrates herself along with all the mompreneurs who have quietly survived their battles.
“I’ve been through so many hardships, been through a lot of rough patches. But I survived all them. As a mother, I know God has given me another chance to redeem my worth. I may never be able to provide my kids financial luxury, but I will be a constant presence in their lives, if and when they need me,” she said.