THE first time they pulled a tray from the oven, the air in the Silvas’ cozy kitchen smelled like warm butter and melting chocolate. In the quiet of the 2020 lockdown, siblings Precious and PJ Silva stood close at the counter, marveling at their work—nothing fancy, but something that felt like the start of something more.
Outside, the streets in Los Baños were quiet. Inside, they were laughing over whether the cookies were slightly overbaked or just “extra chewy.”
They weren’t chasing a business idea that day, just trying to make something sweet to lift the mood. But by the time the last crumbs of that nine-cookie batch were gone, they had a feeling this could be more than a hobby.
“It began with trying to pass the time, looking for worthwhile activities,” Precious recalled. “But we also thought, what if this could help people who needed work?”
That question stuck. Soon, neighbors were placing orders, and the kitchen counter turned into a production line. PJ handled the mixing; Precious perfected the packaging.
Friends became customers, customers became regulars, and before long, the name Drip and Bites was born— coined from two main ingredients: good cookies and good intentions.
Baking their way to people’s hearts
The cookies found early fans through word of mouth, but the real breakthrough came when Drip and Bites joined TikTok Shop. Suddenly, their cookies weren’t just known in the neighborhood—they were being discovered by people from Luzon to Mindanao.
“TikTok Shop allowed us to reach customers across the country without having to set up in different locations. It also helped us connect with affiliates and resellers who support our growth. For a small business like ours, it’s been a practical and powerful way to expand while keeping our focus on product and quality,” Precious said.
The videos—mixing dough, boxing orders, or handing over cookies at mall pop-ups—created a connection that went beyond online clicks.
“People would visit our booth at mall pop-ups just because they had seen us on TikTok. It became one of our most effective marketing channels. There’s a strong connection between our presence on TikTok and how people engage with us in real life,” Precious shared.
Tiktok Philippines marketing lead Franco Aligaen said Drip and Bites is a perfect example of how micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can use social commerce to grow.
“Their journey shows how small brands can grow, inspire, and drive community development all at once,” he said.
Giving chances
From day one, the Silvas wanted the business to serve more than cookies. They hired people who might otherwise be overlooked—out-of-school youth, full-time homemakers—and trained them for their roles.
“We asked ourselves who we could develop, not just who was immediately qualified. Once we trained them, we saw how capable they were. Today, many are at the heart of our operations, and their growth is directly tied to ours,” Precious.
Among them is Ma. Concepcion Odonio, who now works as a mixer at Drip and Bites.
“Before this job, I didn’t have enough income for basic utilities. Now, I’m able to send my child to a semi-private school. It’s made a big difference,” she shared.
Still handmade, from the heart
From those early nine-cookie batches to producing up to 300 a day, Drip and Bites has grown without losing its handmade charm.
Every batch follows original recipes, and every cookie is proudly Filipino-made—a small but tasty reminder of what local entrepreneurship can achieve with the right mix of creativity, purpose, and digital tools.
“We’re proud of the cookies, but even prouder of what we’ve built for the people behind them,” Precious said, noting that the enterprise’s recipe for success hasn’t changed, if at all, it even expanded.
“With the right platforms, Filipino businesses like ours can thrive and bring others along the way,” she said.
