Voila, instant cakes!!

In this age of instant cash, instant noodles, even instant families (?!), nobody seems to have the luxury of time. For virtually everyone, there is no time to wait, no time to waste.  In one of our future episodes in B&L the TV show, we will feature a very young entrepreneur who seems to have cashed in on this latest phenomenon of the millennium generation.  Here’s a preview of that.

Ryan Tan, only 24, is a graduate of B.S. Management from the Ateneo de Manila University. According to Ryan, he grew up in an environment where the spirit of entrepreneurship ran strong, his dad and his siblings active in real estate while his mom is involved in the importation and export of food products. He and his siblings were required to help in the family business during weekends when they were still very young, but they were also rewarded with modest remuneration.  Ryan said they were, in fact, paid by the hour.  That’s motivation. He considers himself lucky to be pre-disposed to be an entrepreneur, and though he had no idea yet which direction to take, he just knew he had to venture into something that he could call his own, until that fateful Sunday lunch.

His aunt, a retired pastry chef, and a sister whipped up a quick and easy but delicious cake-dessert for lunch, and an idea flashed before him — this definitely had potential.

Stumbling on a novel idea by accident is one thing, but pursuing it to fruition is another.  Ryan worked on developing a brand for his product and worked with a team of designers to come up with a dynamic image and packaging.  Its name, Voila, connotes it all.  His product became “Voila Cake Jars”.  This is cake in a jar that you can buy off the shelf in some supermarket and make in one minute anywhere, anytime.

Introducing the concept to the consumers was the first challenge, but the attractive packaging that instantly captures the eye made the brand-maker hurdle his first obstacle.  The rest was achieved through sheer hard work and persistence.  For many start-ups, the easiest way to go public is through bazaars, and this was what Ryan did.  He also did the rounds of third wave coffee shops, those that have carved their own niche in the coffee-drinking community known for their discriminating eye for quality.  These coffee shops accepted his brand, and before long, a big coffee shop chain, Bo’s coffee, carried Voila Cake Jars in all its outlets.

Ryan was pleasantly surprised that the biggest challenge was not in introducing his product — it was just the first in a series of challenges.  What became his biggest challenge in fact was production—how to meet the growing demand.  He invested in machines, invested on more people and in the professional training of his production team.  Soon after, he was knocking on the doors of the big department store chains like Robinson’s and Landmark to introduce his brand.

Our own Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) has a trained eye for products with good potential not just for the domestic market, but also for the export market as well.  DTI invited Ryan to join the agency-sponsored International Food Fest held in SMX.  Ryan prepared well for his first international food bazaar and his booth got noticed by potential international buyers.  He was heartened by the positive response and the interest in his novel product, and this inspired him to be ready for the next phase in his young business venture.  In order to achieve this, he had to further enhance his production capacity and expand his market base until he was able to say with confidence that he is now export-ready.

Now, he is getting ready to ship to the Middle East, and his Voila Cake Jars bear labels in Arabic for this market.  He is also preparing to invade the North American market.

What makes his product unique?  “Not everyone can bake, so this is an easy alternative,” said Ryan.  All one needs after purchasing a jar is to have a small amount of water ready, a teaspoon and a microwave oven.  Pop it into the microwave and count up to one minute and voila, you have instant and freshly-made cake in a jar which can serve two to three persons.  At P149 a jar, it is a quick baon that can be enjoyed by one’s family or office mates. The cakes are dry ready mixes that have a shelf life of 12 to 14 months if unprepared.  When prepared, they last as long as normal cakes when refrigerated.

Ryan said they have developed just a few well-researched flavors for now, though their R & D continues for more exciting flavors. Their best seller is still the Belgian Fudge which has real Belgian chocolates.  Other best sellers include the Red Velvet Vanilla which makes use of white chocolate instead of the regular cream cheese that others use for this variant, and the Peanut Butter Mud Cake.  Apart from the obvious peanut butter as the main ingredient, this one has roasted peanuts and chocolates and was inspired by Reese’s Kisses, a favorite of Ryan.  Now, they are launching an information drive to make their clients aware of the many uses of their recyclable jars after consuming the cake. They can be used as storage jars, make attractive pen holders at home, etc.

This young entrepreneur has obviously taken the bold “bite-the-bullet” approach, but it has paid off well for him.  According to Ryan, being young is actually an advantage for him as, being single, he can afford to take the risk and still have a lot of time and energy to rise should he fall flat on his face after the first salvo. It looks like he doesn’t need to look farther than that because his first venture has gotten off the ground well, and things are looking good for his Voila Cake Jars.

Mabuhay!!!  Be proud to be a Filipino.

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