TEN start-ups have been “Certified Lokalista” by J&T Express Philippines for their local craftsmanship and innovation.
This recognition is given through the company’s campaign named as such to small and medium enterprise online-based businesses established by their founders’ hard work, creativity, and nationalism.
They were adjudged according to content (50 percent) or the power of storytelling in describing their offers, creativity (30 percent) of their communications as they conveyed their ideas, and authenticity (20 percent) or the genuineness of and the extent to which they used homegrown materials for the products.
Garnering a ratings score of 98.33 percent, Craftcha claimed the No. 1 spot from more than a thousand of entries nationwide.
Based in Pasig, this online business offers discarded items such as flour sacks, cloth scraps, old jeans, and outdated clothing converted into tote bags, pants, masks, and everyday items.
“We put up a business that advocates cloth waste management in minimizing plastic bag use. Coupled with our interest in crafting goods, creativity, resourcefulness, and concern with the environment, these drove us to continuously create goods that are sustainable and purposeful. Craftcha takes pride in its environmentally friendly, functional, and sustainable products,” said Merlita Manicad, founder of Craftcha.
Second placer Philocalist by Venus, on the other hand, is a Makati-based coffee and tea shop that was built through the owner’s experience as a flight attendant that gave her a more in-depth understanding of how other cultures produce their own beverage.
Owner Venus Hate recalls how she came up with the idea of putting such start-up from a lay-over in Japan where she observed how “Japanese people love and enjoy coffee drips and loose-leaf tea.”
For third placer Arts and Crafts Handicrafts Store, owner Sheila-Ann Soriano has fulfilled her childhood aspiration to establish this business that offers woodworks handcrafted by her very own father who has been in the industry for so long.
“We cater the exact needs and wants of clients. We craft clients’ imagination with elegance, creativity, and craftsmanship,” she shared.
With the originator’s advocacy to create change in the society, fourth placer Made By Pearl Sewing Services was founded by Jo Anne Pearl Tadeo to provide consumers eco-friendly alternatives, such as washable and reusable cloth diapers, drool pads for baby carriers, back towels, cloth menstrual pads, face masks, and produce bags, among others.
“Made by Pearl believes in the power of innovation. We knew right off the bat that we wanted to provide solutions from our long-standing problems,” she said.
The fifth winner, Uniquely Online Store and Gawang Pinoy Shoe, uplifts the livelihood of Filipino artisans through locally-made women’s shoes and sandals from Marikina City and Liliw, Laguna.
“By selling these products, we are alleviating the livelihood of our hardworking shoe makers while also showcasing the talent of Filipino artisans. We are immensely proud that our shoemakers can create sophisticated shoe designs built with 100 percent quality,” said co-owners Mary Chris Koh and Leo Fe Barte.
The other J&T Certified Lokalista winners are Germano’s Chili, owned by Gerome Panlilio, which offers chili garlic products; Meridian Pet Supplies by Ivy Tirazona, which caters to the pet needs of Quezon City residents; CHYReativehandSZ by Diana Marquez, which creates and distributes sewn and crocheted products; Batik Atbp, Mikel Mendoza’s souvenir shop that promotes the culture of indigenous people in Northern Luzon; and Lorna’s Gourmet, built by Eugenio and Ma. Lucille A. Dalida, that sells gourmet tuyo. Each of the 10 winners will get P20,000 worth of services from J&T Express.
“Filipino entrepreneurs, especially those who went above and beyond amid the mobility restrictions brought about by the pandemic, deserve to be supported and recognized for their creativity and tenacity,” said J&T Express Philippines Vice President Zoe Chi.
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