“Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success”, stated by Napoleon Hill. This being said, Joan Delfinado-Bella made her own way to success, from being oblivious to their family business, to being the successor of it. She experienced and conquered hardships as she strives to make her business known in Cabuyao City. Until now, after being known in Cabuyao City, she’s still motivated to make her business grow, and eventually be known nationwide.

As early as her college days, Mrs. Joan was already entrepreneurial in spirit—she started selling home-made sweets, like pastillas, yema, and pulburon. That time, all she wanted was to have an extra income, for school necessities. Today, her inspiration and driving force is to sustain their business and generate enough income so that her husband, an OFW in Saudi Arabia will be able to stay here in the Philippines.

Then, in 2014, Mr. and Mrs. Bella decided to take over the business of Mrs. Bella’s mother’s coco jam business. They initiated the search for target buyers, revamped the old packaging, and brought their product to bazaars within the city. At first, coco jam was their sole product, until they showcased alamang, and peanut butter.

Although Mrs. Bella recognizes and believes in the potential of their product, it was hard for her to balance being a wife and a mom while trying to sustain their business. Aside from this, their business wasn’t generating enough profits because they didn’t have that many customers and distributors.

When DTI launched the Negosyo Center Cabuyao City in partnership with the Local Government Unit of Cabuyao, Mrs. Bella decided to approach their office to register their business which we now know to be “Delfinado’s Food Products.” She also sought additional help and advice on how they could improve their products. The Business Counselor assigned to the Negosyo Center encouraged her to join the Association

of Laguna Food Processors (ALAFOP) and to attend the free seminars and training provided through the Negosyo Center.

Since then, she was able to attend many seminars such as Entrepreneurial Mindsetting and Business Conceptualization, Entrepreneurial Mindset and Starting a Business, Seminar on Local Store Marketing and Simple Accounting, Seminar on Food Safety Handling and Product Costing, Seminar on How to Start a Business and Orientation on DTI Services, and Seminar on Basic Food Safety. Through these seminars, Mrs. Bella is able to develop the necessary skills she needs to sustain and improve her business.

Through the Negosyo Center and LGU Programs like the Cabuyao Roof Top Food Festival, she’s able to promote and sell her products and meet like-minded entrepreneurs who can mentor her and who she can also share her skills with.

Today, Delfinado’s Food Products is part of DTI’s One Town, One Product (OTOP) Program to level up products or services rooted in the town’s local culture and competitive advantage. Through this, the Department of Trade and Industry aims to help provide Delfinado’s Food Products with significant improvement and innovation in the areas of quality, product development, design, standards compliance, marketability, production capability, and brand development, among others.

Mrs. Bella, isn’t only focused on earning profit, but also on establishing a great bond with her employees. She humbly acknowledges their contributions to their business. She remains grateful to their customers and distributors, who unceasingly buy and distribute their products, and their suki suppliers who continue to provide them with the best quality ingredients.

Mrs. Bella is also grateful to the Negosyo Center and to its Business Counselor, Charlene Alibudbud for continuously pushing her to attend more trainings and seminars relevant to their business and for providing market linkages for her and her fellow entrepreneurs.

As Arthur Ashe said, “Success is a journey, not a destination, and the doing is often more important than the outcome.” Mrs. Bella takes her time in saying that, one should be brave and persistent enough to achieve his dreams. To her fellow entrepreneurs or to those aspiring to be one, she advices them to always persevere in their business despite adversities. Mrs. Bella is determined to make Delfinado’s Food Products a household staple not only in the city of Cabuyao, but eventually all over the Philippines.