ICE cream is one of those indulgences that instantly pulls each family member come closer together in a table.
When it is peddled on the street, people of all ages swarming towards the ice cream vendor is a usual scene.
Luisa Encarnacion Gastalla has been gathering people with her ice cream business since 2017. But for years, her own family rarely gets complete.
“Seaman man gud akong bana. Two to three months lang namo siya makauban sa usa ka tuig (My husband is a seaman. He only stays with us for two to three months in a year),” she said.
She has been enduring this set-up for 22 years since the time they got married.
A-Gems Ice Cream started when her husband pushed her to venture into a business to sustain their needs while he is away. Luisa was then a housewife although she has small retail stores and have been lending money for a living.
“Gusto gyud mi mukuan og business ba kay kabalo ka sa life sa seaman, pag naa siya diri, wala nay income aside anang sweldo pero pag naa siya diri, wala na siyay income (We really wanted to have a stable business because we do not have an income when he is here),” she said.
Her husband took a training on ice cream making when he was in Manila. But it was not an instant success. When he taught the process to Luisa, they failed to achieve the right consistency. Luisa learned the process while observing her husband.
When her cousin, whose family is also experimenting on ice cream, went to her house, she benchmarked some of their production processes and incorporated it with what she already knows.
“Katong sa akong husband, dili pa siya as smooth. Naa pa siyay mga ice-ice. Para bang ice candy. Until nakuha na nako ang perfect [consistency] (My husband’s ice cream not really smooth. It still coarse like an ice candy, until I was able to perfect the right consistency),” she shared.
They also participated in Department of Trade and Industry’s programs where she was able to enhance her knowledge in running a business.
A-Gems Ice Cream grew to 15 flavors which include the classics like durian, cookies and cream, ube, mango, and coffee and daring ones like the edible flowers like blue ternate and roselle herbs, and the spiced chili cheese flavor.
They also come in small cups to 1 and a half gallon sizes and displays in bazaars, supplies to resellers and distributors in Market Basket in Damosa, Lanang, and delivers to customers.
However, Luisa admitted it is not easy to produce eight to 10 gallons a day, alone.
“Kung may muabotay nga bazaar, magbanat-banat kog production. Pati kanang delivery, ako tanan ana. Naay mga times nga wala koy tulog, mudeliver pa ko, mubazaar pa ko (If there are upcoming bazaars, I would double time in production. I am also the one who delivers to customers. There are times that I cannot get enough sleep because of these),” she said.
She said her only child who is now in college cannot yet help her. But despite that, she chose to persist.
“Hopefully, mao ni siya akong masaligan sa future nga mustop na akong bana mulakaw. Dili lalim ng OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker), layo ang husband, mga kahadlok, kaning sa barko ka, ang dagat (Hopefully, this is a way that my husband will no longer have to leave. It is not easy to be far from him. I am afraid of what will happen to him while on the ship especially when weather is unfavorable),” she said.
“At least man lang makauban nimo siya og mga six months or a year. Naa lang gyud moy kasaligan sa inyong financial [status] ba nga di pud mo mapuno og utang (At least, he can stay with us for six months or a year and with a sustainable source of income),” she added.
While she still continues with her business, she is also optimistic that it could be God’s way of supplying their needs.
Luisa hoped that her ice cream business will soon let her husband stay with her forever, even if a tub of ice cream empties. (RAG)