Seng Di Feature: Food Delivery Startups You Should Try!

For the past few months, CHiNOY TV has been featuring several locally-owned MSMEs through the #CHiNOYTVSupportsLocal series. To continue giving an avenue for these businesses to be spotlighted, CHiNOY TV partnered with Fil-Chi Ho Tsia Ho Dim to launch the Seng Di Feature project, where Chinoy-owned food businesses, Chinoy chefs, and Chinoy food photographers and videographers are showcased.

Today’s featured Seng Di’s are the home-based food delivery startups that have sprouted from scratch and are ready to serve their delicious creations.

ACA CHAN

For years, Ringo Chan has been pushing his father Aca, a food enthusiast who was born and raised Hong Kong, to get into the food business but he was hesitant because they were aware of how stressful it is to be in the industry. A couple of years ago, Ringo tried running his own food business with his Dad’s recipe. With the pandemic going on, he was able to convince his Dad to join and start a food business, naming it Aca Chan after the elder Chan.

In Aca Chan, Aca primarily cooks while Ringo is in charge of marketing. “He’s the artist behind our hearty recipes,” Ringo describes his father, “These dishes that we have are our comfort food at home for more than 20 years now, and never fail to satiate our tummies and taste palette, as well as our friends’ and family’s.” With years of experience and tried-and-true recipes, they’re happy to share their home-cooked food to everyone.

Their ultimate goal is to one day expand their operations into opening a restaurant. “We are not doing this business just for this quarantine period. We are in this for the long run. We are committed to get this going and further expand our operations,” Ringo shares, determined to bring joy with their food just as much as they have brought joy into his home.

WHAT TO TRY: They only have two items in their menu, but both have been reliable bestsellers: their Char Siu (1 kg. – P1200; Half kg. – P600) and their Spring Onion Chicken (Whole chicken – P700; Half chicken – 350).

To check out more of their products and price lists, visit their Facebook page here and their Instagram page here!

BENRI ONIGIRI

Benri Onigiri was started by college student Alyssa Chen during the quarantine when she wanted to eat onigiris but didn’t have any place to buy them. She ended up making her own and decided to sell them as her own food business. Her initial sales were disappointing, but she credits posting to Ho Tsia Ho Dim’s Facebook page as what kickstarted her sales. With her sudden spike in demand, she managed to sell more than 1000 onigiris in less than a month.

“We put service at the heart of our business,” Chen says, noting the importance of customer satisfaction. She also shares that they once launched a pledge-an-onigiri for a frontliner project, and part of the profits were given to charity organizations. “Benri Onigiri is not just any food business. It’s a story of a college girl who struggled, but was eventually able to find her success as she persevered,” she reflected on her journey so far. “We all have the right time and place to shine, and for me, my business shined through HTHD.”

WHAT TO TRY: Benri Onigiri has two categories of onigiri: Classic (P60 each) with tuna mayo, spam, and spicy tuna flavors, while Premium (P90 each) has tuna mayo spam, baked kani, and pork floss flavors. Their Pork Floss, Spam, and Baked Kani flavors are their bestsellers so far!

To check out more of their products and price lists, visit their Facebook page here!

TRUE BOSS PH

True Boss started in Taiwan from the personal experience of its founder Kenny Lin. As a director of a technology company, he experienced a lot of pressure from work which had a bad effect on his psychological, emotional, and physical health. He wanted to find a drink that will make him feel better. During his search, he noticed that majority of the drinks available in the market do not provide much benefit to the body. With health as his top priority, he decided to create Fruit Enzyme which aids in uplifting the health of stressed workers.

In the Philippines, the holders of the True Boss master franchise felt the same sentiment as Lin with the available drinks offered in the country. On a trip to Taiwan, upon trying out True Boss, the team immediately fell in love with the drinks because they felt the effects of Fruit Enzymes. It was a unanimous decision to bring the brand to the Philippines because daily many Filipinos are suffering from the same stressful situation as Lin in their work.

To keep their products healthy, they use natural sugar cane as sweetener minimally, no powder or creamers are used, and their raw materials have SGS Certification. Their fruit enzymes boost the immune system, metabolism, inhibit the synthesis of fat, and eliminate fatigue! “Our vision is to gradually change the lifestyle of locals by reducing the chances of diabetes and other diseases by giving everyone access to a tasty yet truly healthy drink,” the team said.

WHAT TO TRY: Their bestsellers include their Fruit Enzyme Plus (M – P140), the Fruit Tea with Cheese Milk Foam (M – P145), the Brown Sugar Fresh Milk with Pearl (M – P130), and their Sparkling Drink (M – P170).

To check out more of their products and price lists, visit their Facebook page here and their Instagram page here!

LULU EVERYDAY

Lulu Everyday started less than months ago by Sharleen Ong. At first, cooking and baking was just a hobby for Ong, who posted her creations on Facebook. Friends started asking if she was selling them. When a friend whose mother was a cancer patient said that she wanted to cheer up her mother with a yummy sushi bake, she finally gave in and agreed to cook for her. Other friends followed suit and wanted to try out her cooking and so she decided to turn her hobby into a small online business.

Ong is glad that she gets to provide premium products at a more affordable price to enable more people to try upscale food experiences. Apart from satisfying the cravings of customers, she is happy to provide a livelihood, with her workers consisting of people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. She plans on opening a physical store someday and hopes to hire her previous employees in the future. Through Lulu Everyday, she was also able to serve medical frontliners, many of those who are part of their loyal customer base, and help them destress during these trying times.

WHAT TO TRY: Lulu Everyday serves Mango Kani Sushi Bake (P450) and Unagi Sushi Bake (P650). Ong also serves Basque Burnt Cheesecakes, which come in Classic (P350), Oreo (P500), and Ube (P500) flavors.

To check out more of their products and price lists, visit their Facebook page here and their Instagram page here!

MAMA MALU’S LECHE FLAN

Mama Malu’s Leche Flan will bring nostalgic memories in every bite. The leche flan is a family recipe that has been passed down from generations, and is, according to the owners, “always made with love.” They’ve been selling their freshly-made leche flan for Christmas giveaways and special occasions but thought of selling and sharing it online too when the pandemic started. They hope to be able to hire a team and grow more in the future, with their longtime leche flan recipe with its smooth and creamy texture remaining the same so their customers will crave for more.

WHAT TO TRY: If it’s not obvious in the title, their Leche Flan (P100) is their best seller. They also provide their versions of Brazo De Mercedes (P200) and Custaroons (P120).

To check out more of their products and price lists, visit their Facebook page here and their Instagram page here!

For more CHiNOY TV x Fil-Chi Ho Tsia Ho Dim lists spotlighting Seng Dis, keep an eye out on CHiNOY TV’s website for more entries!