Monday, June 30, 2008 Making good from the start By Gigie A. Agtay
THERE are many winners in every aspect of life and every field of endeavor.
Winners stand as role models to people who are trying to wrestle with defeat. Obviously, Dabawenya Rochelle and Italian husband Romano Venuti are not made for defeat. Their three businesses - Prego Caf‚ Picobello and Swiss Deli Gourmet have survived the test of times.
Prego Caf‚ at the 3rd floor of GS Citimall, is a sole proprietorship of Rochelle and Romano while Picobello (at the 3rd foor of the same mall) and Swiss Deli (in Bajada) is shared with Romano's Italian-Swiss friend Marcus Kehl.
Prego opened in 2000, five years after Rochelle and Romano moved to Davao from Manila.
"We met in Indonesia working in the same hotel -- Bali Hyatt. He decided to leave the hotel business as pastry chef and work in the Philippines. After a while he ventured into consultancy," Rochelle said.
Romano joined the then JS Gaisano in 1995 when they put up Living Bread and Caf‚ Ilustrado.
Prego shop came about after his stint with JS Gaisano.
A year after, Picobello was opened in November 2001.
"Romano, for the longest time had wanted to open an Italian resto, and it so happen we're also into the sausage making business," Rochelle said. "There was a Swiss company before so accessible kami sa supplies. So we saw a good opportunity of opening an Italian rest. Before, Salvatore palang ang Italian resto na open."
Four years after on Sept 8, 2005, Swiss Deli was opened.
"Business was a roller coaster though. Some years na good business pero hindi consistent. May lean months. It's the hands on management that keeps it going. We are here every single day. Romano and Marcus take turns in being at Picobello and Swiss Deli everyday in monitoring the quality, service and kung ano kulang sa kitchen," she said.
She said they try to "standardize business operations para kung meron man isang mawala, hindi mapaparalze."
For Picobello, Rochelle attributes the lean times to summer when students have no classes and some people are out of town for vacation.
"There are students who are very aggresive to spend like those from Ateneo, Davao Doc and mga kids ng well-off families pero limited. The A clientele like mga expats don't mind about the price. The market of Swiss Deli are the upper working class. If you notice lunchtime mga corporate people ang customers. After one hour, mawawala sila because they would have to go back to work."
Picobello's "Buy 1 take 1" promo on pizza was meant to offset the lean hours, in the beginning.
"In a mall di pwede mag close after lunch. Nandyan naman ang staff so we thought of maximizing para may tao pa din kahit lean hours. We just give the pizza at cost. Malakas among students and medical representatives," she said.
Ingredients, she added, are locally sourced. "May sarili kaming production ng cold cuts at a plant beside Swiss Deli.
Malaki ang volume of production because we supply most establishments in Visayas and Mindanao. We have a distributor in Manila," she added.
Rochelle said the sausage making business came about because Marcus is a genuine butcher himself.
The plant was opened in 2003.
Rochelle said that for Picobello, there have been requests for franchising. "Were starting to consider, in that way yung ingredients kami pa din mag-supply."
Pico pizza is freshly made. "The moment you order dun lang ginagawa ang crust. For one pizza, it will take less than 10 minutes. Matagal pa nga yun. We prepare the dough. The taste is closest to the authentic. No modifications. It's also one way of educating the market. It is very important that quality is maintained as well as giving employees incentives," she said.
Prego is one of the pioneer coffee shops in Davao aside from Basti's Brew and Blugre.
"One of the reasons why people keep coming back to Prego is me," Rochelle jokes. "But seriously, I personally sit down with them. They become my friends. Aside from the coffee that always tastes the same."
Rochelle is not open to the idea of branching out though. "If my coffee shop is
doing well bakit hanapan ko pa ng sariling kumpetensya. With the many coffee shops around, its irrelevant to compete," she said.
All that goes well for couple Rochelle and Romano Venuti who proved that putting their hearts and minds into their business has been a key to maintaining a good standing in the industry.
The Venuti couple is also parents to three children -- 19-year-old Sergio, a 3rd aeronautical engineering student; 16-year-old Domenico, and Cassandra, 7.
Prego Caf‚ is open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Picobello -- 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with telephone no. 221-1692 while Swiss Deli is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. with telephone number 234-0271.
