Family makes lola’s turrones into thriving Cebu business

IT started as a home kitchen specialty of the late Conching Bollozos of Camiguin, northern Mindanao in the 1920s.

Today, El Tesoro de Cebu Turrones has become a household name in Cebu for their quality products that people bring home as a “pasalubong” product.

“Bollozos was never married so she handed her business to her niece Rosita ‘Nene’ Montinola, who is my grandmother, in the 1960s,” said Ruth Montinola-Miranda, MSS Foods Corp corporate secretary and managing director.

Turrones is a square-cut delicacy usually made of crushed peanuts, honey, sugar, flour and egg white wrapped in white wafer. Aside from Cebu, turrones is also a popular delicacy in Camiguin.

In Cebu, the business started as a small-home based business venture that the Bollozos family produced daily in their home in Mabolo, Cebu City.

The family’s main market then was Cebu, which proved a stable market for the product, making the business grow more and more profitable.

The business created job opportunities for people who were unable to finish their studies because making the turrones involved skills not necessarily learned in school.

“At present we have at least 40 people working in our production area. Some have been with us since my grandmother’s time,” said Miranda.

In 2000, the family, then already under the management of the fourth generation children, decided to register the business into a corporation.

“It was my brother-in-law Stefan Sulay who really initiated the move to register the business to become a corporation because that way we can steer the business to more growth,” said Miranda.

In 2000, they also decided to build their production plant in Budlaan, Talamban, Cebu City where they produce all their products and deliver to the different major retail chains they now also put displays in.

From only Turrones de Mani, they have two other variants which are Pili and Casuy.

“We sell the Casuy, Mani, Pili and Assorted variants in packs of 40 grams to 300 grams in major retail outlets and pasalubong centers,” said Miranda.

From a Cebu-centric business, they  managed to penetrate other markets in the country and even abroad.

El Tesoro de Cebu Turrones products can be bought in Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos and in Manila.

“Abroad we are now in California, Las Vegas, New Jersey and Chicago,” said Miranda.

Their plans are to develop more products under the brand to give more choices for their customers and expand their market further.

“Our biggest market remains to be Cebu and we would like to expand in the west coast of the US market and enter Dubai as well,” said Miranda.