Husband and wife team Jim and Shayla Sanchez left their careers in the airline industry in Manila to channel their talent and energy in helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Caraga region be on a par with global trends and to capture the market with higher purchasing power, as well as a greater appreciation of native products.
The Sanchez couple relocated to Butuan City and put up a boutique, the Trading Post, that displays the products and crafts of local producers and businesses in the region in one of the luxury hotels in the city.
The couple sought the region’s products, gave these a new look and marketed them to a bigger market. In effect and in their own big way, they are assisting MSMEs in branding and marketing their products, leveraging their expertise and experience as well as exposure to global trends and markets.
“We saw how there were a lot of really good products in Caraga but some just needed help with packaging and presentation so we thought we’d start there. We helped producers by making labels for their products and finding better packaging, as well. Later on, when we had producers that showed commitment in improving their branding and packaging, we decided to partner with a hotel so we could have a small curated shop inside their lobby,” Shayla said in an e-mail interview with the BusinessMirror.
She said Trading Post provided the space to display and sell the products of local producers and entrepreneurs. By doing so, the Sanchez couple was able to tap the market that had higher purchasing power and who were more likely to appreciate the value of the local products.
The couple had to hurdle the changing mindset of their business suppliers who were either start-ups or who have been doing their businesses traditionally for years.
“Trying to let them see that their products could be sold to a higher market by simply changing their packaging and branding was such a foreign idea to them that there was some resistance in the beginning,” Shayla recalled.
Nevertheless, the producers realized that Sanchez’s suggestions really made sense when Trading Post started to get bulk orders from other cities and sales also started to pick up. “The producers saw that what we were doing helped their businesses too, so that’s how we were able to change their hearts and their mindsets. As a result, producers started to come to Trading Post to ask for help and request to display their products too,” she said.
Now, Shayla said they constantly encounter the “happy problem” of not having enough space to display as many products as they hope they could.
“It’s a good problem of course, it just goes to show that there is a lot more work to be done to help uplift the lives of the producers through this business. We’re excited for what’s up ahead,” she beamed.
Trading Post usually cater to smaller businesses/entrepreneurs. If MSMEs think their products have potential in the market, Shayla said, they get to test it in their small shop. If the entrepreneurs need help with their packaging and branding and can’t afford to pay for the services, she said they can give their products equal to the price of their services.
“You know how [it goes] in smaller provinces. The locals will sometimes pay forms of services in kind? Whether it be paying their doctors with their poultry like their chickens, pigs, etc., that’s how we got the idea of giving them the option to pay us using their products,” she said.
Eventually, if the entrepreneurs see that through Trading Post’s sales there is a demand for their products, then they can slowly scale up their business. The idea, according to Shayla, is for the local producers to have an avenue where they can showcase their talents and skills, whether it’s in the food industry or in the arts and crafts industry, by having their products sold on the shelves of Trading Post.
Shayla said the long-term goal of Trading Post is to be able to help more producers in the entire Caraga region. “Hopefully to even be able to make an impact in different communities by means of livelihood—to be able to create a business for them and to preserve their traditions and spread awareness about the products that they make,” she pointed out.