Mark and Cheng Acain of Talisay City, Negros Occidental are testaments that if a couple works together towards a common goal, they will achieve remarkable results. Learn how their yummy homemade peanut butter has sweetened its way into many homes in the province and helped them reach their financial goals.
Finding a Second Income Source
When I first met Mommy Cheng many years ago, she was still working in a local store in Bacolod City. Eventually, she decided to leave her job in order to stay at home and take care of her only daughter Zoe.
Despite leaving the world of the employed and her husband Mark earning for the family, she still longed to have a second source of income for the family. That would give their family budget some leeway in their monthly expenditures.
At that time, they were still building their house, so they were buying construction materials every time funds were available.
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Cheng said that her inclination is in selling. If she could open a store in the market, she was willing to sell fresh produce and everything else.
But God had other plans for them.
Zoe’s Homemade Peanut Butter
Several years ago, Mark’s mother was diagnosed with kidney failure and needed dialysis. But this regular medical procedure is very expensive.
The family scrimped in every move they made and looked for help everywhere just to keep up with the twice a week dialysis.
It was really a hard time for the family. Even with only one young daughter, her husband’s salary was no longer enough to sustain their family’s needs. So Cheng decided to start the homemade peanut butter business.
Armed with her parents’ peanut butter recipe and her strong faith in God, she plunged into making her first batch of this homemade spread.
“My parents entrusted us with the recipe and even help us with the production until now. We consider them as our partner in this small venture,” Cheng shares.
That life-changing event was in July 2016 when they tried making peanut butter out of 5 gantang (approximately 10 kilograms) of peanuts. From then on, it had been a sweet journey for Mark and Cheng.
Their version is sweetened peanut butter without extenders. It’s just the goodness of peanuts in every tub.
A Successful Venture
For every production, Mark and Cheng make about 200 tubs of homemade peanut butter. They produce this much twice a month.
But when there are special occasions like Christmas, fiestas, or other calendar-marked festivals, the demand for their specialty doubles. So they try to cope with the orders by making 400 tubs.
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There was a time that they tried selling peanut butter in plastic jars. It didn’t take off because their customers are used to “spooning” their yummy spread and licking it off the spoon.
Yes, it’s not just a spread because many people eat it as a dessert or use it as topping for ice cream and such. We do that at home. Especially our little Siobe Shane.
Rising Again After the Lockdown
When the lockdown for Covid-19 happened, Cheng had to stop production because of limited mobility.
Before the lockdown, they only made peanut butter once a month. But since they resumed making it in May, they have been producing their in-demand homemade peanut butter every week.
It got too overwhelming so they have plotted it down to twice a month.
Passing it to Her Daughter in the Future
When asked about her future plans for Zoe’s Homemade Peanut Butter, Cheng says that she is already very happy with what is happening with her business.
Meanwhile, Mark continues to work as a claims adjuster for an insurance company. During weekends, they work together on the peanut butter production.
For now, the Acain family is enjoying the blessings that their peanut butter business has brought.
The income that this business brings in enables them to pay their monthly utility bills. Plus, they were able to buy a second-hand car, which they use as a family service and also for the delivery of their products.
Aside from her homemade peanut butter, Cheng also resells some stuff to her friends on Facebook. She has all these side hustles in order to contribute to the family income.
The best thing is, she is doing all these while staying at home and taking care of her daughter and the household.
Mommy Cheng hopes to be able to continue making peanut butter and pass on the business to her daughter Zoe someday.
About Zoe’s Homemade Peanut Butter
At present, Cheng and Mark can deliver their products within the cities of Talisay, Silay, and Bacolod in Negros Occidental. They also do meet-ups if the location is too far.
They did try sending through the Ceres bus, but because of the packaging, the product can easily spill.
At present, Zoe’s peanut butter sells at P100 per plastic tub of 450ml. They are open for resellers, so they give a discounted price for a minimum order of 5 tubs. For bulk orders and frequent buyers, they further give free tubs.
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Contact details
For orders or inquiries to resell, contact:
Facebook: Cheng Acain (personal account)
Mobile no/s: (0942) 3651152 and (0942) 9639927
Payment preferred: GCash or Cash on Delivery
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