The Handmade Business Story

20/08/2026

Have you ever been to the supermarket and got excited over a brand because of its packaging and bought it eventually? 😏

If you have a product, imagine them on the shelves in the grocery and ask yourself?

“Mapapansin kaya yung produkto ko?”

What do you think will be your answer?

31/07/2026

A dear friend from Bali gifted me this chocolate bar- and I was uber delighted!

As a designer and one who easily gets “budol” by gorgeous packaging, this chocolate bar went over and beyond mere taste and exotic flavors ( Yup, it’s dark chocolate with pepper and salt- right up my palate alley!).

Let me unpack why I rejected devouring this bar right away, and documented every step of opening this dark sweetness.

PACKAGING

🍫Outside jacket bears the distinct batik patterns of Indonesia- the design alone pins the geographic origin of the chocolate. It shows pride in Indonesian roots.

🍫 Krakakoa name- a play on the name inspired from an active volcano in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia, the Krakatoa.

🍫 Inside the hard jacket you can find a short background story and the company philosophy behind the product.

On another side of the inner jacket is the illustrated process and value chain, from farmers to the end product.

Hindi written text, but simplified drawings for quick “reading” and understanding.

🍫 Important markings: Halal certification and a distinction award seal that both boost credibility to the product.

🍫 Then you finally come to the chocolate bar, not open yet but you’re almost there- it’s wrapped in a gold foil reinforcing its premium positioning.

🍫 Finally! You open the foil and instead of the uniform rectangular moldings common to chocolates, the bar was divided randomly and in between are patterns of the cocoa bean cross section, the plant leaf, the leaf buds on stems and maybe some other patterns I missed ‘coz I already bit a big chunk off it.

🍫 And of course- the taste was top-notch! My daughter doesn’t like dark chocolate but she loved the layers of flavors! 😃

🍫 Oh, there’s even a thumbnail map inside the jacket, I just noticed now!

What’s the lesson here?

To raise the value of the product, aside from crafting it well and with honest intentions, packaging is the tool to send your message and your brand values.

Executed well, it elevates the perceived value even before a purchase is made.

Great job Krakakoa!👏👏👏

Have you seen a similar chocolate packaging here in the Philippines? 🇵🇭

I bet there’s many I haven’t explored yet. Theo & Philo chocolates and Auro are on top of mind for me. 😊





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* Thanks Karlyn for the pasalubong!

Designer ka talaga, your gifts were always well-thought of!🙂

27/07/2026

Have you experienced before getting excited about your business idea and thought about sharing them with your family, and all you got were criticisms and negative feedback?

Yung at least sana, binati ka for even thinking about putting up a livelihood,

or sabihin,

“Halika, himatin natin kung paano sya magiging successful.” or

ipaliwanag kung bakit hindi pa handa yung the “Big Idea” mo.💡

At kung hindi ka nakinig sa kanila, paano mo nakayanan na mag-pursige pa rin?

Share us your experiences, baka may nagbabasa nito na naghihintay lang ng magsasabi na,

“𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒂 𝒎𝒐 𝒚𝒂𝒏!”




https://www.facebook.com/100066922651331/posts/1345756590998417/?mibextid=wwXIfr

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂.”

Imagine sharing your dream with your family or closest friends, only to hear,

“Hindi ’yan kikita.”

Or worse, seeing them stay silent because they don’t believe you can do it.

For many women entrepreneurs, that hurts more than losing a sale.

A business needs more than skills and capital. It also needs encouragement, people who cheer you on when you begin to doubt yourself.

That’s why community and peer support matter. Sometimes, one person saying,

💜 “𝙆𝙖𝙮𝙖 𝙢𝙤 ’𝙮𝙖𝙣. 𝙎𝙪𝙗𝙪𝙠𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣.” is all it takes to keep a dream alive.

When women support women, businesses grow. Families become stronger. Communities move forward.

💜 Tag someone who believed in you when no one else did. And if you’re that person for someone else, thank you. Your encouragement could change a life.

08/07/2026

Marketing tip here: We “shop” with our eyes first.

Window shopping anyone? 😏

08/07/2026

Food blog ba yerrn? 😃😏😋

Well, yes but that’s on another page, and another topic.

I want to share something, may napansin ako sa family ko with the foods I serve-

If I just transfer the dishes from pots/pans to serving plates without any fuss (and arte😁), madalas may natitira.

But served like I am plating for high-paying customers (or family members willing to wash the dishes after)- ubos at limas ang pagkain.

THE LESSON HERE?

We “shop” with our eyes first.

We stop to look at the product, then decide whether to buy or not.

In marketing, the hook is the first level. Gusto natin na mapansin at hindi lalagpasan lamang.

Whether the customer would be happy with the product or the experience is the next level of marketing once they bought- satisfying the client to his or her expectations.

And yes, the images below were home-cooked meals I served in the house.🙂

👉🏻 Curious about the recipes, este, marketing tips?

Follow this page to get updates!

04/07/2026

"Huli man at magaling-

huli pa rin!"😅

Late post here of the engagement in Isabela City in Basilan.

As usual, it is always a pleasure to share whatever little knowledge we have. It was pretty recently too that I have learned that what we take for granted and often assume everybody knows is not always the case.

In truth, with product development, a tiny detail can make a difference. As the saying goes,

"The devil is in the details."





https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Chc1SmshU/

30/06/2026

Fair Trade is not charity, it is business done right.

Both parties grow together.

20/06/2026

I can’t remember who I asked before but this was my question:

“What do you know about the Badjaos of the Philippines?”

Answer: Yung mga namamalimos sa kalsada in city streets

A very narrow and degrading perception of the whole Badjao communities scattered all over the country mostly on the southernmost part of Mindanao and often seen in the coastal areas. 😢

Unknown to many, especially those who haven’t forayed to the BARMM Region, many of the Badjao women are skilled tepo weavers or mat weavers, and trained from a very young age.

My exposure with this IP was limited to women, through the livelihood route, but to my knowledge, the Badjao men are great navigators of the sea and are very good divers.

That’s for another post I guess when I have more materials to share. 🙂

For now, I would like to share this knowledge-

the Badjao beggars we see in the Metros are not representative of the whole of their people- rather a peek into the poverty and neglect by the national government and even by civil societies.

I am happy to say though that NGO’s like the The Asia Foundation through the Accelerate Bangsamoro Project, supported by Australia in The Philippines and working with the LGU of Isabela City through PESO Public Employment Service Office Isabela City and with Nagdilaab Foundation are actively empowering IP women in the BARMM Region through economic development and solutions.

It’s a humongous task to be honest, and transformation cannot be achieved by sparse and in between interventions. A macro plan, holistic in approach and powered by government support can spell a difference.

Sometimes, this introvert self wonder-

What changes could I make if I have the potency and the money and time on my hands if I sit on the throne of power?

What would you do?

(Why do I feel like I digressed again?🤔)





https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18gcmqEBv8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

25/05/2026

Nakakalito sa daming choices!

This was in Taytay, Rizal- The Garment Capital of the Philippines.

Isang kulay gives you the tints and tones and all the shades in between.

This isn’t the case though in the far-flung provinces where there are weaving and sewing skills but are lacking in the material supplies to push the exploration of designs in the sphere of color palettes. 🌈

In certain areas where Shopee or Lazada does reach them, crossing waters by boat or plane hikes up the prices of the end products- a factor that should be explicitly mentioned to haggling customers.

😃 Can you imagine the wealth of opportunities when these same options are available? 🔥🌈💰

19/05/2026

How to expand your product selection?

Create variations of the same.

‘Got questions? 😃

👉🏻 Follow this page for updates and insights! 😉👌✅