NOT long after the launching of Herbalaya Liniment Oil in 2011, an unprecedented number of consumers grew in Visayas and Mindanao. The expansion even reached some parts of Luzon which paved way for a homegrown product to be recognized not just locally but nationwide.
Always the traditional way
“The product took five years to be developed because we want it to be satisfying and effective for the consumers,” said Mr. Requerme Abog, Chief Executive Director of Ellestreque Pharmaceutical Industrial Corp., a Davao City-based pharmaceutical company which developed the liniment oil, adding that they have more repeater customers because of the quality of the product itself.
According to scholarly articles, herbs are natural products and their chemical composition varies depending on several factors and therefore varying from people to people, from energetic decoctions to the use of herbal extracts following Western methodologies of mainstream medicine.
In the Philippine context, traditional medicines are commonly used, especially the rural areas where there is less or no access of modern medicine, in the maintenance of health, as like in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement and treatment of illnesses. This has become part of the culture.
Herbalaya is the traditional herbs older people would always prefer, inside a bottle for convenience. No need to take up time boiling and mixing herbs because Ellestreque Pharmaceutical made sure that all the necessary ingredients are intact.
Most trusted brand since 2011
Abog said that the good feedback of the consumers encouraged them to try harder to reach more and more communities.
Herbalaya was also recognized by various award giving bodies for being one of the leading liniment oils in the country, a year or two after it was launched, evidence that the product was embraced by the public, especially the working class sector. The workers are more prone to stress, body or headache, mild sickness, and unexplained pain right after work. Abog said that the liniment oil included ingredients that will help soothe pain and relieve stress for them to be more productive.
Meanwhile, Abog said that they plan to focus in Luzon, especially outside Metro Manila, in 2019 to reach more consumers. However, financial needs would become bigger, investments should be made wiser and the workforce should shift to the next level. It will be their biggest challenge to overcome for the coming years but Abog said he and his team are ready for greater opportunities.
"In business, there will be many barriers. But as long as there will be people who believes in you, it is enough to keep you going," Abog said.
Massive promotion
Ellestreque Pharmaceutical though provides more pharmaceutical, galanicals, cosmetics and household remedies, but Herbalaya made such an impact so Abog and his team said they are making initiatives for a more massive promotion of tge product.
Presently, Herbalaya is more visible in malls, supermarkets, drugstores, etc., all over the country. They also engaged in dual distribution. Abog said dual distribution is where a manufacturer or wholesalers use more than one channel simultaneously to reach the end user; this is part of their marketing strategy.
Behind the word “Herbalaya”
Some people might be curious about why the product was named Herbalaya. Most people could guess from the word ‘herbal’, but ‘laya’ bears more weight on it. ‘Laya’ is from the tagalog word ‘malaya’ which means freedom. It entails the greatest vision of the product and the main reason why it was developed, that is to give consumers freedom from pain and instant relief from different kinds of musculo-skeletal problems. That way, people will be more productive and they will have more time for family and friends after a very exhausting day from work.