As inspired by her mother who retails fresh fruits, Ms. Mariejoy “Joy” Abordo got an idea to produce fresh fruit juices. In 2017, she established her own business and named it “Fruitjoy Enterprises”. Back then, she had no business plan and didn’t know how to properly run a business. All she knew was blend fresh fruits, fill in generic cups, and sell. She didn’t even have a fixed price per size. But her lack of technical skills and knowledge in business didn’t stop her from pursuing entrepreneurial ventures. She even participated in bazaars.
One time, she received an invitation from DTI-Rizal who was looking for “Joy” to participate in a trade fair. Ms. Joy accepted the invitation and eagerly joined in the Samahan ng mga Rizaleño sa Sektor ng Agrikultura at Pagkain (SARAP) Heartilicious Fair. To her surprise, DTI-Rizal was searching for a different “Joy”. Again, such mistake didn’t stop her from grabbing the opportunity. It can also be considered as a blessing in disguise. Simultaneously, she was enrolled in the Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprise (KMME) Program where she became equipped with the business basics such as pricing and costing.
Joining in bazaars made her more interested with her business. However, she encountered challenges such as housing (it’s not practical to travel from Laguna to Rizal every day), manpower, right price per size, transportation, and capital. To solve their problems, they rented a place in Rizal, studied and formulated the correct pricing which she learned from a KMME Mentor, bought their own vehicles, increased bazaar participation, invented more flavors of fresh fruit juices, promoted their products, and saved money to be used for their business.
Aside from KMME and CARP Programs, the Department of Trade and Industry – Laguna Provincial Office (DTI-Laguna) assisted Fruitjoy Enterprises through the One Town One Product Next Generation (OTOP Next Gen) Program. As part of product development, they were provided with logo and label which partly contributed to their growth. “Fruitjoy” has become a popular brand of fresh fruit juices. In two years, their gross monthly sales increased by 180%. In addition, they were able to expand their market covering Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. They also produced a new product line: ice cream (“Floatjoy”).♦
Date of Release: 20 November 2019