I FIRST met Cherry Maning about seven years ago when she was still a Mutya ng Dabaw hopeful. During that year’s Mutya ng Dabaw the then Cebu Pacific flight attendant emerged as Mutya ng Sinag.
Fast forward to 2017, Cherry has transformed from an enigmatic Dabawenya beauty to one of the city’s well-known personalities.
She tried TV hosting together with media friends Sarah Hilomen and Derf Maiz in GMA Davao’s morning show "Una Ka Bai", becoming a TV news anchor for local afternoon news program "Testigo".
She also dabbled in events hosting, currently she is one of the co-hosts in the local game show Kapamilya "Winner Ka" at ABS-CBN with game master Rovic Cuasito.
Aside from the limelight, Cherry or Coy to family, relatives and close friends is also a businesswoman, launching several ventures one of which is the fashion boutique Cherryfic Finds that has several branches in the cities of Davao and Tagum. Cherryfic was established in 2013.
This year she opened two businesses, the first was a branch of the SnR New York Style Pizza at Gaisano Mall and the second business is the Pawsome Dog Café at Autoville Compound along Torres Street.
“My parents are actually into food business, they have small “catering” business but it’s doing really good, so I saw a big potential in the food business.” Coy explains her venture into SnR.
The SnR quick service restaurant is a 254 square meter space in Gaisano Mall, which has 44 tables and can seat about 164 people. The Gaisano Mall SnR is the first store where the company agreed to have a partner.
“This is just the 25th store in the Philippines, still few, so there’s a bigger opportunity to capture a bigger market.” Cherry says.
The lady entrepreneur states the one reason why she chose SnR is because she loves the products, the serving size and the taste plus the reasonable prices gives SnR’s line of pizzas and American dishes a great value for money which is hard to beat.
Pawsome Dog Café was opened last March it’s a café for humans and their beloved pets plus a play area where clients can interact with about 25 dogs which Cherry acquired for the café.
Cherry has couple Francie and OJ Calderon as partners in the business. They got the inspiration from the pet cafes they visited in their trips overseas. Designing the pet café was their friend architect Chinchin Villalon.
“I really love dogs, I have so many dogs in the house.” Cherry bares her inspiration of her business.
“It’s a unique concept here in Davao and I really want to share my passion and love for dogs.” The San Pedro College educated registered nurse says.
Cherry shares that part of the income from Pawsome will be used to help abandoned pet dogs. They are also looking to partner with dog pounds or groups and organizations in promoting their pets’ welfare and wellness.
With her many entrepreneurial commitments, Cherry says some of her projects like hosting rakets will have to give way. However, her Kapamilya "Winner Ka" stint will still continue.
“My TV hosting job is not a hindrance to my businesses, it’s a welcome diversion, it makes me happy doing the things I love and also since you are on TV you have to look good, it gives me the motivation to keep myself looking healthy and good.” Cherry says.
As for the life lessons she learned from her business ventures, Cherry says its finding the right people to help as you cannot do it all alone and also learning to prioritize things and loving oneself.
“It means never neglecting yourself, taking care of your health, I cannot afford to get sick so I eat well, take vitamins etc., I am happy when I’m busy,” says Cherry who turns 29 on July.