Housewife’s homemade pies start her bakeshop business

Being a home-based mother didn’t hold back  Sharon Rose Lee Lopez from starting a business.

Fond of cooking and baking, she would see to it that after the day’s chores, she’d have something special  to delight her children and husband when they got home from school and work – a meal with her  chicken and buko pies.

Her pies were the family’s favorite snack and dessert.

“The business started as a home-based order type business in 1997. I’ve been a housewife ever since we got married and I love to cook,” she said.

Her husband who is in sales would give her  baked products as presents to  clients on  Christmas. Soon people were placing orders for the same gifts.

When the volume of orders got bigger, the  family registered the business in 2000.

“Our friends would order from us and later on we found ourselves getting orders from friends of friends,” she said.

As more orders came, the family saw the need to have an outlet  in Cebu City for the convenience of  customers who had to go their house in barangay Talamban to get their orders.

“We only accepted orders for a whole cake or a minimum number of pieces. The store would allow us to also sell by piece  so we thought of it as a good move forward,” said Lopez

In 2009, they found a small place for  takeout orders along  M. Roa Street a  few blocks from Cebu Doctor’s University Hospital’s  emergency entrance.

With an investment of at least P200,000, Lopez  set up  Crema Homegrown Recipes and hired an attendant to serve customers.

The store drew  walk-in customers and the volume of orders grew. The  home kitchen was no longer enough for operations.

Fortunately, the family  was able to rent a 125- square-meter space behind the house as a production area.

“We now have about six people helping us in the production area and two attendants to man two shops including one inside Cebu Doctor’s canteen which we opened last year,” said Lopez.

From her first chicken pie recipe, Lopez today offers cakes, pastries, cookies, food bars, special buns and bread.

The store offers Butter Prune Cake, Custard Cake, Crema de Fruta, Chocolate Moist Cake, Chiffon Cakes, Carrot Wallnut Loaf, Old-Fashioned Banana Loaf and Yema Cake.

Aside from the cakes Lopez also offers Cheese Roll, Mango Cream Pie, Pineapple Pie, Choco Crinkles, Cashew Sylvannas, Cassava Cake and Brazo de Mercedes.

Prices are affordable yet Lopez  sees to it that her products have the  best homemade quality.

Orders are made from customers in Manila, and Davao and other areas outside Cebu.

On July 27, Lopez said  the family would open another outlet  in Parkmall in Mandaue City, a  cart-type store with four outdoor tables outside e-Games and other food establishments.

“We will cater to those who want to just sit and relax with coffee, tea and our cakes. Parkmall is an easier place for our customers to locate and  pick up their orders compared to our old location,” said Lopez.

Lopez said  she wants to open a shop where people come for  authentic homemade food.

“That is my goal. I don’t want it to become so big because the idea is to offer food and dishes that are  not commercially prepared. The products will all have the best natural ingredients in the desired proportions to really capture the right flavor,” said Lopez.