Enterprise: TLM Yema Buko Pie and Pasalubong Center
Founder: Leonora Magaling 
Industry:  Food & Beverage 
Year it was founded: 2016
Location: Malolos, Bulacan

Entrepreneurs are opportunity seekers. When problems arise, they don’t see them as roadblocks in their paths; rather, they view it is as an opportunity to unleash their creativity and create innovative solutions.

This goes with the story of Leonora Magaling, the owner of TLM Yema Buko Pie and Pasalubong Center. The mompreneur, who hails from Malolos, Bulacan, used to supply coconuts around her hometown and other nearby provinces.

She would often have coconuts left after all her delivery transactions. Instead of seeing this as problem, she saw this as an opportunity to use the remaining coconuts to sell Buko Juice and Buko Shake.

“I started a small store where I sell Buko Juice and Buko Shake. It went well until a lot of people started paying a visit to try it,” Leonora shares.

As her buko juice gained popularity, she noticed that there are a lot of coconut meats that are left unused.

Unlocking opportunities out of challenges

Her entrepreneurial spirit once again emerged to solve this problem. “You should always find opportunities. We have to think that there’s a solution in every problem.”

Using her background in cooking and baking, she experimented on how to preserve the coconut meat which later gave birth to her growing business, the TLM Yema Buko Pie and Pasalubong Center.

But her Buko Pie is not an ordinary Buko Pie; it has a twist where she made her own version. Her Buko Pie comes with a variety of flavors including Buko Pie with Cheese, Buko Pie with Chocolate, Buko
Pie with Ube and Cheese, and more.

“It’s made from all-natural ingredients. It doesn’t have any preservatives or artificial flavors,” she explains.

When asked about her motivation for her business, Leonora, a mother of three, becomes emotional. “It’s my desire to put my family’s future secured no matter what happens.”

“I asked myself, ‘What are the things that I can do? How can I help my husband who is an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker)?’ This is what has kept me going to overcome all challenges because I want to help my family.”

Coping with the new normal

With her growing business, she didn’t forget to acknowledge the assistance that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provided to her. Aside from the training to improve her product and business operations, DTI has also helped her cope up with the new normal.

Leonora was one of the female entrepreneurs, who is part of the Gawang-Pinay initiative of DTI. Gawang-Pinay is an online marketplace for women-led enterprises in partnership with UnionBank GlobalLinker. With the partnership, they are trained to create their own online store for free through the Linker.Store of UnionBank GlobalLinker.

Also read: Gawang-Pinay: Goods sold online with a female touch

“Linker.store is a big help to my third branch in Quezon City wherein there’s a huge market for online ordering. I’m thankful to UnionBank GlobalLinker for the training they provided and for the opportunity to expand the way of doing business of every business owner like me.”

Also read: Create your own online store on UnionBank GlobalLinker for free

If you’re craving for sweets or you love coconut and pies, you have to try TLM Yema Buko Pie. To find out more about her products, visit her online store here.

Image source: Yummy.ph

To explore business opportunities, link with Leonora Magaling by clicking on the 'Connect' button on her profile.

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