Everything But Cheese (EBC) is the first cheese-concept restaurant in the Philippines that serves anything and everything cheese, including craft sandwiches, pasta, cheeseburgers, and cheese fondues. Known as “the cheesiest place on earth” to avid cheese lovers, Everything But Cheese started as a small food kiosk in the heart of Manila, owned and founded by Mr. Benigno Roco.
 
As a little kid, Mr. Benigno Roco already had the fire of an entrepreneur in him. He would earn little by selling ice candy to his friends and neighbors. At one point, he opened a small chicken food cart in front of his house. While in college, he worked as a Jollibee crew to help his parents fund his studies. Dreaming one day of becoming like Tony Caktiong and Injap Sia, two self-made entrepreneurs with humble beginnings, he took the risk and went the entrepreneurial path after finishing his undergraduate studies. With the savings he had that were initially meant for CPA licensure exam review, he launched what was once a seemingly impossible dream—his very own cheese restaurant.
 
Mr. Roco persisted with grit and guts, forging his own path to success despite trials in life and lack of funding. He built everything from the ground up—using his 30,000-peso capital to buy secondhand equipment and running his first food kiosk all on his own, wearing many hats at the same time: that of a waiter, dishwasher, and cook. Seven years later, Everything But Cheese has established its name in the food industry, providing its unique “cheeseperience” in 23 branches across Luzon. By the end of 2022, Roco aims to have more “cheesiest places on Earth” by tirelessly working to expand to 35 to 45 branches in the Philippines.
 
Mr. Roco acknowledges how the KMME program helped pave the way for success by giving him a headstart on professionalizing his business. “It gave me the opportunity to grow as a person and share my learning with others as well as to learn from the mentors and my classmates. “ A hustler and a non-stop learner, Roco continues to strive to be the best version of himself and is taking his Masters in Entrepreneurship at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).