VON Lacorte is on a full-court press on the hard court of business.
Lacorte, 31, received some offers from universities whose coaches have seen him play basketball. Indeed, he played: since Grade 3 in Don Bosco Makati until his senior year in secondaryschool.
“They [universities] wanted to recruit me,” Lacorte said, who admitted the initial feeling was overwhelming because the offers boosted his reputation and self-esteem.
But he has already decided “not to entertain their offer”.
“[I have] nothing against basketball but during my first year in college I felt that I need to take a different route, which I [felt was] safer for me,” Lacorte told the BusinessMirror. “I mean, I’m afraid that when I get injured my career would be over.”
Lacorte has played against the likes of Ginebra San Miguel’s Lewis Alfred Tenorio and Alaska Aces’ John Evans Casio.
“I don’t want to solely put my future on basketball, although basketball is really my first love. As a matter of fact, I still love it up to now. It is my passion,” Lacorte said. “But due to my hectic schedule I only play it as [a] recreational [sport].”
He chilled for a while after playing professionally and put up an ice-cream business.
Sweet road
WHEN Lacorte and his business partners decided to put up a business, they took the food and beverage route. Thus the birth of Gelatofix this year with Lacorte as coowner.
At first, it was a challenge because we found it difficult to pick the exact business we wanted, he said.
Lacorte added he and his business partners remained focus on their criteria, “which is to offer something new, something fresh wherein people will be interested to go to.”
They saw an opportunity to apply for a franchise of the Gelatofix brand under Singapore-based food conglomerate Commonwealth Capital Group.
“That is when and then the business presented the opportunity. [Gelatofix] is a brand new brand of the Commonwealth Capital, a renowned food logistics and consultancy agency that is behind the success of many famous restaurants, like Pasta Mania,” Lacorte said.
The first Gelatofix branch opened in Cambodia. Gelatofix is also the first lifestyle dessert café in the Philippines.
“They wanted to start from Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] countries first before they open in Singapore. So when they first presented the concept of Gelatofix, I already fell in love with it,” Lacorte explained. “We found it very interesting because of its unique selling point.”
He said they also found Commonwealth Capital very supportive from planning to construction, “even up to the soft opening”.
“Furthermore, they even helped in hiring of staff to their preparation for operations to all the dishes in the kitchen,” he said. “Indeed, they are very helpful from start to end.”
Patience
BASED at the Bonifacio Global City, GelatoFix targets primarily young professionals and millennials, like Lacorte.
But unlike the typical millennial, Lacorte said he is more patient in getting the desired business results in his food and beverage and public-relations business.
I was slow in the development of patience, he said.
“I realized that, eventually, it would take time for something to fly. Right now, I’m just focused on making my Gelatifix open smoothly,” Lacorte said. “I am hoping that the public would receive it positively. And it is on the horizon to have an expansion plans.”
He said Gelatofix’s all-natural gelato is what makes the café stand out.
Furthermore, our gelatos are perfected from Italy under the guidance of Italian chefs.
“The customers are assured that our gelatos have the perfect mix of flavor and it is tantalizing smooth texture sets it aside from other gelato shops,” Lacorte claimed. “While we also offer gelatos by scoops, we also specialize on gelato dishes in general.”
GelatoFix has salads infused with gelatos, gelato sushi and a lot of gelato desserts.
Team work
EVEN if he did not pursue a career in basketball, the 5-foot, 11-inch Lacorte said the training he received in playing the sport has helped him a lot in developing hard work, persistence, discipline and proper time management. He also learned to be a team player where he slowly learned to put the needs of the staff first.
“Just like the team captain, I learned how to lead,” Lacorte said. “We play as a team but when it is time to make heavy decisions, I have to put the welfare of the team first.”