Pardo resident grows ‘Lutong Inato’ business

He used to work as an installer for SkyCable until he decided to go into food vending in his neighborhood to augment the family income.

Jonathan Villahermosa, 36, of Basak Pardo, Cebu City, used the P10,000 prize he won in a local contest, the Kapamilya Negosyo Na, to put up his food business in 2009.

The program gives aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to put up their own businesses. All they need is to present their business plans to be evaluated by the organizers— the ABS-CBN, University of San Carlos Alumni Association and the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Villahermosa said he was encouraged to try his luck after he attended an entrepreneurship seminar conducted by the KNN organizers.

His business plan was one of 10 winners of that season. He set up his food business in December 2009 after his contract as an installer for SkyCable ended.
“I was selling cooked food in our neighborhood every Sundays back then during my days off. When I joined the KNN, I thought of trying it full-time using the prize money given to us,” he said.

He set up a display area in front of his house for “Lutong Inato.”

At first, he only sold “chicharon bulaklak” (deep-fried intestines) and “dinugoan” (blood stew). As the business grew, he had more dishes like vegetable lumpia, torta, adobong baboy, ginaling, paklay, and fried fish.

On Saturdays, he serves humba (pork stew)and nilat-an (boiled pork), which were dishes most of his neighbors looked for during payday.

He said he makes sure the food tastes good and is priced low.

Lumpia is sold at P3 each while other dishes cost between P5 to P10.

“The most expensive dish is only P20 to P25 like humba and nilat-an,” he said.

Competition is another reason he sells his food at low prices.

“Our specialties are barbeque and adobo, which we sell at only P10. The two usually get sold first.”

Villahermosa said he buys his ingredients in the morning, prepares the dishes in the afternoon and sells them at 5 p.m.

“My budget for the ingredients is only P800 to P900 and I earn at least P1,400 every day,” he said.

Villahermosa’s wife and 13-year-old daughter help him.

Villahermosa said he plans to expand by selling meals in construction sites and other outlets.

The food business is a growth enterprise, he said, but one must be prepared to do several things right.

“Even though this is just a small business, it also requires skills in management and good decision-making,” he said.

“You have to decide what dishes to prepare, the right price and manage the funds. You must always have enough funds to continue the business especially when you have regular customers,” he said.