by Josephine Ramos
“It was years of hard work and determination,” Daisy Blancad answered when asked how she managed a steady business.
Daisy, 61, resides in Tuguegarao City, the capital of Cagayan Province. She was born in Peñablanca but met her husband in Tuguegarao City during college, so she eventually stayed there.
They got married in 1983. Her husband was a police officer, while she was a housewife for a long time. Over time, their family grew until her husband’s income was no longer enough, so in 2010, she thought of selling peanut butter.
She learned how to make peanut butter from a person who grinds peanuts at a market. Over time, her business flourished, leading her to have a label and packaging. In a single day, she can produce 50-100 bottles of peanut butter, which even reach as far as Manila. She considers the peak season of her business from September to December.
In 2013, her husband retired from being a police officer but still worked as a head traffic enforcer for nine more years. They used his retirement pay as capital for a water refilling station. Just like with peanut butter, starting this new venture was not easy.
The first three months took a toll on them. From 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, she would refill water gallons, and when morning came, before her husband went to work, they would deliver the water. While delivering water, she also took time to market her business so that it would become more established and attract more customers.
There came a point when she was on the verge of giving up, but her husband constantly motivated her to keep going. He reminded her that every business, most of it, does not have an easy start; all of them require perseverance.
So she continued, and after four months of managing the business solely as a couple, they were finally able to hire two employees.
Both her peanut butter and water refilling stations thrive, but during the height of the pandemic in 2020, she had to scale down her peanut butter production because of restrictions. Additionally, her children advised her to avoid overworking herself, saying that she was not getting any younger.
Post-pandemic, her peanut butter has become a made-to-order product, while her water refilling business continues to flourish. Additionally, she partners her water refilling with selling ice. She now delivers around Tuguegarao City and neighboring areas, including Peñablanca.
She was able to purchase refrigerators for her ice production with the help of CARD, Inc. (A Microfinance NGO), a financial institution under CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI). In 2017, she became a client since she was interested in their loan and insurance products. Daisy’s husband has also become a CARD, Inc. client.
“CARD, Inc. is truly a reliable institution, especially for clients like us who are in need. Whenever you want to apply for a loan, they are available, especially if you are a good payer,“ she said.
With the support of CARD, Inc. and because of her flourishing businesses, she was able to purchase land. Looking ahead, she hopes to reach even more customers and, of course, expand her business.
