Entrepreneur Ingga Cabangon-Chua developed a fondness and love for pizza when she was a child. “When I was a young girl,” she recalled, “I tried all the local pizza brands.”
Cabangon-Chua carried her passion for pizza through her adult life and developed a habit of baking her own at home. She bought books and read articles online, learning everything there is to know about pizza, such as the importance of using the right temperature to produce good dough.
After four years of trying to perfect the art of pizza making, Cabangon-Chua and her boyfriend, Tommy Woudwyk, decided to co-open Crosta Pizzeria at Poblacion in Makati City in 2017.
The first few months proved to be a challenge. Cabangon-Chua said she had to tweak the entire process to accommodate volume. She was used to making only four to five pieces at home, but the business required her to produce around 100.
“I haven’t dealt with so much volume,” she said. “In the first couple of months, we were still tweaking the whole process. It was a learn-as-you-go experience.”
Cabangon-Chua eventually got her rhythm and even diversified their offerings.
Aside from meat-based pizzas, Crosta started offering plant-based options, which continues to warm reception from Filipinos.
“I think we’re a little faster in the vegan market compared to our Asian counterparts,” she said. “You would be surprised that in a country where pork is king, there’s a massive vegan following. Sometimes, our vegan pizzas even outsell our regular pizzas.”
Cabangon-Chua said it was a challenge to find suppliers for Crosta’s vegan pizzas. But they found the right partner in United States-based Beyond Meat Co., thanks in part to the growing clamor for sustainable lifestyle and vegan diet, a cause pushed globally by prominent personalities such as Leonardo DiCaprio.
Cabangon-Chua believes the growth of veganism among millennials has helped the movement to advance, as well. She said the generation have been aware through social media of the issues surrounding sustainable development, from climate change to animal rights to veganism.
With a wide range of high-quality products, Crosta has attracted customers who order through delivery services just by learning about their food through word-of-mouth. She said the method has been one of the most useful in the promotion of the brand, along with social media.
A lot of their customers, she said, are repeat clients who went to Poblacion to try their pizza. After getting satisfied, they would bring their family on their next visit to share the experience.
Crosta has also become so popular that Italians from all over Metro Manila go to Poblacion just to sample their pizza. Cabangon-Chua recalled a memorable experience with their first Italian customer.
“He went here and started asking who the Italian chef is,” she said. “There’s no Italian chef,” she replied. “It’s just me.”
As an artisanal pizza brand, Cabangon-Chua had to be hands-on with the production of Crosta’s products. She would flip the dough, man the oven and reorient her staff to achieve the desired outcome.
“I have to train people in every station to ensure the quality. Consistency is important whether I am here or not here. It needs to be the same quality,” she pointed out.
Cabangon-Chua said she based the taste of the pizza on her favorite bread, sourdough. One of the signature qualities of Crosta’s pizzas is the crunchiness of the crusts.
“Crunchy crusts on the side and soft on the middle are the things I love in a pizza,” Cabangon-Chua said.
The Crosta owner has been able to travel around the globe. She said of all the pizzas she has tried in different countries, the best one was from Japan. Although initially surprised that the Japanese could make delicious pizza, she believed Asians could give the Italians a run for their money as far as pizza making is concerned.
“At the end of the day,” she said, “you just have to love the taste of the pizza.”
Several customers professed their love for Crosta’s on online travel site reviewer TripAdvisor Philippines, where the brand got raves from the 12 reviewers. A certain Martim Canar Hoya of Olhao, Portugal, gave Crosta five stars, saying, “pizza was incredibly good.”
Meanwhile, Alexx T from Metro Manila commented that Crosta’s sourdough-inspired crust is not just hype and should be tried by pizza lovers whenever they are in the Poblacion area.
“The sourdough crust was perfectly crisp with just a right amount of chew and resistance when bitten into. The melted cheese, toppings, and garlic confit complimented the crust, without overpowering it by flavor and texture,” she said. “Till this day, I continue to rave about Crosta to my Manila friends and family.”
Cabangon-Chua added that they continue to train people to expand to other locations as demand for artisanal pizza grows. She also plans Crosta to cater to weddings, parties and corporate events.
One of the things Cabangon-Chua is most proud of in turning her hobby into business is the opportunity to help other people through employment.
With people’s livelihood depending on her, and pizza making no longer just a hobby, she said: “I have to make it work.”
To do that, Cabangon-Chua said Crosta does not go for being authentic, but is more concerned to cater to what the market needs. Case in point, she said, was their willingness to try and create different pizzas, which led them to their best-selling vegan option.
“I don’t care about the perception,” she said. “I care about what the people want.”
Image credits: Roy Domingo