SPANIARD Juan Carlos De Terry is very much synonymous with elevating the public’s appreciation of Spanish food here in the country.
Seeing that there were no restaurants in the Philippines that specifically offer Spanish cuisines, he opened Terry’s Bistro & Gourmet Store in 1999.
“There was nothing except Santis at that time,” De Terry said in seeing the opportunity in opening his own brand in the country.
Today, Terry’s has four thriving branches in Ortigas Center, Taguig City and the Makati City Central Business District, with four more outlets set to open this year in Pasig City, Ortigas Center and Makati City.
But for De Terry, the road was long and tough. He admitted that there were several times in the past that he considered giving up on the business he established in the country.
The first time
De Terry first visited the country in 1972, a year after he married his Filipina wife Mari in Spain.
Arriving late in the year, it was the first few months after then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law in the country.
“The place was not at all scary. It was normal on the streets. There was calm,” De Terry said, in describing Manila at that time.
He said there was nothing in Makati City at that time except for the InterContinental Hotel and the Rizal Theater. He also said that, even without traffic, going to Quezon City at that time felt like going to the province.
But what stood out for him during that stay were the Filipinos he met along the way.
“People were pleasant everywhere. I stop to talk to them and they speak in perfect English. They understand English and Spanish language,” De Terry said.
He quickly fell in love with the Philippines and had his mind set out to be back here, start a business and eventually retire.
The bureaucracy
After their family business in Spain was sold and spending 17 years in Mexico, De Terry made good on his promise to return to the Philippines.
He incorporated his restaurant and store in 1999 and reality quickly hit him hard. De Terry realized that it was exasperating to start a business in the country.
“It was difficult to start Terry’s. We lost a lot of money. We did not know that at the time, otherwise we would not have come,” De Terry quipped.
According to De Terry, during the initial year of their operation, they had to pay $5,000 to rent space for one whole year to secure government certifications, but they also had nothing to sell yet at that time.
That predicament, factored with the fact that they have to develop an accounting system, pay for employee salary, and spend for his family’s needs at the same time, all led to him shelling out $150,000 with no business returns in sight.
De Terry said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also made it more difficult for them then, a situation that continues to persist to this day.
“Every time we add a new product, we wait. I felt like giving up. I did not felt motivated. There was the burden of registering over and over again,” he said.
De Terry said that it takes almost a year in the Philippines to register a new product.
He cited as an example a product being registered in August with the FDA, approval would only come the following year.
“You miss out on the Christmas season,” De Terry said.
He said the process applies to even the same brands that are sourced from different suppliers and where a company has to start all over again when the request is disapproved.
“Many producers want to skip the Philippines because of this. The Philippines needs tourism and tourism needs products,” De Terry said.
De Terry is suggesting for the process to be overhauled, with the documents coming upon arrival of the products in the country. He believes that documents coming from counterpart agencies from the original shipping point is more than adequate, upon validation in the country.
“Mexico accepted this proposal,” De Terry said, comparing his time in Mexico, where they have products readily available for the public.
De Terry said there were four Philippine presidents who have come and gone since he started his business in the country who probably did not understand the situation or did not want to bring competition into the country.
“Modern countries bring in new products, ease procedures and allow competitions,” De Terry quipped.
From the time he started his business in 1999, De Terry said he only saw a return on investment after six long years.
Still an optimistic view
After being CEO for a Spanish brandy in Mexico, De Terry eventually started his own business in that country.
Business was thriving and he had more than 60 products, and he was selling to more than 800 supermarkets in Mexico.
But he had to abandon it all because of security concerns, as Spaniards were increasingly becoming the target of crimes in the country.
“It was becoming risky for the Spanish community in Mexico at that time. There were kidnappings that were happening. My family was never threatened, but I was worried,” De Terry said.
He said Spaniards back then were dominating the business landscape and creating new markets in Mexico, but the government then was not giving them enough assistance.
Today, in the country, De Terry is optimistic the presidency of Rodrigo R. Duterte will do the country a lot of good.
“I am happy with the statements made by President Duterte. There is now a sense of leadership and ethics. I am expecting changes immediately,” he said.
De Terry said Mr. Duterte is now making people conscious about doing the right things, which, he said, the Filipinos have known from the beginning.
“There is an opportunity for them to get in line. They know the risk they face if they do wrong,” he said.
Caring for Filipinos
Since 1999 De Terry said more than 700 Filipinos have worked for him. Some have stayed with him, while others have found better careers because of the training he has provided.
“Filipinos deserve a better life. I am in this business now because it is my social responsibility. It is not because of the money,” De Terry said.
De Terry added that some of his current staff have been with him for more than 15 years. He has seen a janitor, porter and a masseur become key members of his kitchen staff.
“I trained them from scratch. They were eager to learn. Loyalty to people is very important,” he said.
De Terry remains resolved that the Philippines is where he will stay for the rest of his life. He said Filipinos will give more than they have and it is here where one finds authenticity in relationships.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano