How supporting his wife's passion became their thriving business | Department of Trade and Industry Philippines

Mr. Luisito Ytol of Emcy’s Sweet Things Cake Shop shared how his pastry shop began and what he learned during DTI’s KMME-MME Program.

There is nothing more endearing than a pair who works together to make things happen.

Emcy’s Sweet Things Cake Shop started when Luisito Ytol’s work transferred him and his family from Cebu to Villanueva, Misamis Oriental. The tranquil town of Villanueva was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Cebu. His wife struggled to adjust with the change of pace; boredom began to settle in until she started to fill the silence with warm sounds of baking.

Baking has been a hobby of his wife, and so Luisito wholeheartedly supported her when she reignited her passion in the kitchen. She returned to her love for baking pastries, especially on ube cakes.

Emcy’s Sweet Things Cake Shop opened in 2014. The authentic ube flavor of the cakes was a success. Their customer base expanded to Laguindingan, Butuan, and Jasaan, among others. In 2016, they opened branches in various malls in Cagayan de Oro City, and they have been growing ever since.

Sitting as one of the MSME-graduates in the Tagumpay Forum during the Kapatid Mentor Me-Money Market Encounter (KMME-MME) 2024 Batch 1 Launching of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 10, Luisito proudly shared that his wife was directly involved in the business to ensure the consistent quality of the products.

“Iya jud ni nga passion (This is her passion).” Luisito said. “Naa siyay routine every day. Mga cakes produced, iya jud na tilawan (She has a routine every day. She would taste all the cakes she produced).”

On the other hand, Luisito contributed to the growing business by providing technical support such as identifying what equipment to purchase, maintaining the equipment, and other operational activities.

Luisito and his wife have different individual expertise, but together they leverage their complementary strengths to create a dynamic partnership for their business.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge in their business. With businesses coming to a halt and with competition becoming more intense as more bakeshops emerged, the couple has to find ways to navigate the trial. Together with their workers, they came up with a new product—ube cheesedesal, a pandesal with cheese and ube jam fillings.

With the different challenges in business, the couple learned the value of being innovative.

“After the pandemic, grabe ka daghan og competitors (After the pandemic, there were a lot of competitors).” Luisito said. “Without innovation and proper control, patay ang business (Without innovation and proper control, the business will not survive).”

In addition, he underscored the importance of maintaining quality, optimizing productivity, and fostering a strong team.

Luisito completed DTI’s KMME-MME Program in 2023, with his Business Improvement Plan being recognized with a first-place honor.

Empowered with his learnings in the mentorship program and through the experiences encountered in the business, Luisito and his wife have proven that even in the face of adversity, their commitment to excellent quality in their business will never waver. ♦

Date of Release: 05 April 2024

Share this:

Related posts: