Sweet rice cake to sweet success

Ways with tikoy

No Chinese New Year is complete without “tikoy.” Every-body wants tikoy, the sweet, round, sticky rice cake that caps many new years, according to Chinese experts.

The stickiness of the rice cake fosters the unity of the family. Li’l Hansam Tan Heritage and Novelty Food said, it is enjoyable eating Tikoy available in various flavors such as ube cheese, buko pandan, strawberry, langka, chocolate and peanut butter.

Li’l Hansam Tan Heritage and Novelty Food is located at #03 Sitio Alegria, Dinalaoan, Calasiao, Pangasinan. Started by Ms. Eulila Dela Cruz in 1960, the operation and management of the business was passed on to his grandson, Mr. Michael Alegria. Like his grandmother, Mr. Alegria looks at the needs of his community and finds ways to meet them—often in surprising ways.

Michael’s first sales lessons began when he started cooking and selling tikoy and puto in different barangays in Calasiao and nearby towns with initial capitalization of P100.00.

“I was twenty years old at that time, so I learned about selling early on,” Mr. Alegria said with a smile.

Throughout the years, he learned the value of work for the family’s business. The tikoy business became their primary livelihood that supported the educational expenses of his siblings.

Rolling up

Brisk business prodded Michael to register Li’l Hansam Tan Heritage and Novelty Food as a mainstream business at the Department of Trade and Industry.

He also developed other product lines of tikoy by producing different flavors that adhere to the quality and standards of his strict matriarch. As general manager, he was responsible for the overall supervision of the company which covers the finance, marketing and human resource. His wife, Efrosina Alegria handles the general control on the procurement of raw materials, preparation and packaging of the finished products.

Ms. Eufrosina Cacapit, mother-in-law of Mr. Alegria also served as the production manager of the firm. She is being assisted by three workers in the preparation of the raw materials, cooking, packaging and quality control.

To date, Li’l Hansam Tan Heritage and Novelty Food has 42 outlets in Pangasinan and La Union, and regularly delivers the requirements of its institutional buyers in Calasiao, Dagupan City, Malasiqui, Pozorrubio and Sta. Barbara in Pangasinan, Valleden’s Pastries at Robinsons, Nepo Mall and including ambulant vendors.

Drumming up business

“Putting a twist in the tikoy business was more exciting,” Mr. Alegria revealed. As time goes by, the demand of tikoy products increases.

Like any other Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that intend to expand its business, the firm wanted to grab the opportunity to increase its production and income, generate more employment, and make the products known further.

This is why Li’l Hansam Tan Heritage and Novelty Food availed of the DOST Regional Grants-in-Aid Program to upgrade its facilities and provide better label and packaging for the tikoy products.

Michael noted that the P270,000 worth of support from DOST will be utilized for labeling and packaging execution and acquisition of one unit mechanized dough mixer and mechanized dough roller.

“I thank the DOST for the assistance provided to us. This would shorten the production cycle of tikoy and seal our venture towards sweet success,” he ended.