Getting to know Herr’s
We are family: Jaric Marketing Inc.’s Rica and James de Jesus with son Javier. Jaric Marketing Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Herr’s snacks in the country. Photos by JUN MENDOZA
She has been exposed to the good stuff from a young age.
Having seen how her grandparents, Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco and the late Glecy Tantoco, brought in the best merchandise from around the globe to Rustan’s, the country’s pioneer in luxe retailing, blogger, entrepreneur and STAR columnist Rica de Jesus not only imbibed their fine taste but also inherited their business acumen.
“I was already selling stuff to my classmates in grade school,” Rica shares. “Lola Glecy would always encourage it. She liked the fact that I was learning the ropes early on.”
Rica craves learning and is not afraid to take risks in anything she does, “because I know my parents have my back.”
Her dad, Jun Lopez, and brother Noey Lopez run Starbucks, which has become the national beverage of hip and restless millennials, as well as the corporate set. Her mom, Menchu Tantoco-Lopez, formerly vice president of Rustan’s Supermarket, now runs Rustan’s Flower Shop. She is also the lady behind Golden Spoon and Pinkberry.
“My parents only encouraged us to be our own bosses but never forced it upon us,” says Rica, who runs Jaric Marketing Inc., a trading company that imports products from all over the world and distributes them in the Philippines, with her husband, James de Jesus. Jaric stands for James and Rica.
“James and I started a lot of small businesses, one of them a water station which we have until now,” she adds with an impish grin. “I think I got my obsession to do many things at the same time from my mom and lola.”
Rica has a degree in International Business from Schiller University in London, but she learned the practical side more from her frequent travels with her family.
“James and I share a passion for traveling and discovering products that we feel the Philippine market will appreciate,” Rica shares.
In 2013, the De Jesus couple brought to the country colognes from France and Spain, which are affordably priced between P225 and P445.
“I love nice-smelling colognes. Cadentia is one of the cologne brands I trust. They even have an anti-mosquito cologne. We don’t sell or bring in products we don’t believe in.”
Jaric Marketing is also the Philippine distributor of Lactalis Group from France, the biggest dairy company in the world (which includes the brand President), and Herr’s, a Nottingham, Pennsylvania-based brand of potato chips and other snack foods.
Herr, ye! Herr, ye!?
It was love at first bite for Rica when she tried Herr’s Baked Cheese Curls in the US.
“I love cheese curls. In fact, when I saw these huge tubs of Herr’s Cheese Curls in the supermarket, I grabbed one right away. Herr’s Cheese Curls is made from real cheese, no artificial flavoring. I just can’t get enough of it,” she enthuses.
That was in 2009. Rica couldn’t get her mind off Herr’s, so she wrote the company a letter expressing her intent to bring the product to the Philippines.
“Thank goodness, they agreed. The principals were very cooperative and easy to deal with. That’s the reason why we have a successful partnership,” notes Rica. “At first, we only brought the original flavor of Herr’s Cheese Curls. Today, we now carry 17 variants, such as Herr’s Nacho Cheese and Bacon Cheddar Cheese Curls, Kettle Cooked, Potato Chips, and All-Natural Popped Chips, among others.”
Just like Rustan’s, Herr’s is a family-run business.
The Herr’s food story began in 1946 when 21-year-old James “Jim” Stauffer Herr bought a small potato chip company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for US$1,750. As he learned more about the business, Jim developed new and improved cooking processes and a delicious snack food became even better. As demand for Herr’s Potato Chips grew, so did the company.
This year marks Herr’s 70th anniversary. And so Rica and James threw an anniversary bash recently at Metropolitan Club in Makati, not only to thank its Pinoy fans, but also to launch Herr’s new variants: Herr’s Crunchy Cheestix and Herr’s Crunchy Cheestix Jalapeño.
The children’s-themed party featured booth games and Herr’s-inspired party food.
“I asked the Metropolitan Club to design a menu using Herr’s products in the dishes and they managed to pull it off,” enthuses Rica.
We feasted on Buffalo wings with Herr’s Red Hot potato chips, burger sliders topped with Herr’s Cheddar and Sour Cream seasoned potato chips, pizzas with additional toppings of Herr’s Red Hot potato chips and Jalapeño Poppers flavored cheese curls.
For dessert, there was a chocolate fountain where you could dip Herr’s potato chips.
The event was capped by a Herr’s pabitin, where we tried to get as many Herr’s chips as we could. But all hell broke loose when Rica announced that all chips must go!
Rica sure knows that a good way to her guests’ hearts is through a truckload of Herr’s. And we couldn’t thank Herr(‘s) enough.
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Exclusively distributed by Jaric Marketing Inc., Herr’s products are available at Landmark Supermarket, Fishermall, S&R, Pepperjack, Robinsons Department Store, Royal Duty Free Shops, Rustan’s Supermarket (Shopwise), Rustan’s Flowershop, Landers Superstore and Saddlebrown.
