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to him. Binalot has always prided itself in being
the most environment-friendly fastfood restaurant
in the country because it uses banana leaves for
packaging its products.
Thus, the DAHON program was born. Since
then, it has benefited 30 families in Nagcarlan,
Laguna in Southern Luzon. Rommel hopes Binalot
will be able to duplicate this program in Northern
Luzon.
Rommel says Binalot’s DAHON project has
also caught international attention. In 2007,
Binalot received a special award from the United
Parcel Service (UPS), a global logistics company.
To celebrate its centennial anniversary last
year, UPS launched a search for the best “end to
end” service. This award was granted to Binalot
for its DAHON program.
Rommel flew to Atlanta, Georgia, USA last
year to receive the award along with a $10,000
cash prize. Binalot used this prize as seed money
to establish the “Binalot Foundation.”
Rommel says the DAHON is just one of the
programs of the Binalot Foundation. Now, they
are seeking to train the farmers on how to produce
other banana-based products such as banana
chips and catsup.
They are also considering how to source
their other supplies such as fish, directly from the
fishermen.
HOW THE COMPANY BEGAN…
Binalot is the brainchild of brothers Rommel and
Raffy Juan and chef Aileen Anastacio, a longtime
family friend.
Rommel says they thought of offering food
wrapped in banana leaves because that was the
way their mother used to pack food for them
whenever they went on outings at their family’s
farm in the province.
The company started with five employees in
1996, delivering rice meals wrapped in banana
leaves, in the residential and office districts of
Makati City.
Later on, Binalot extended its operations by
opening a delivery outlet-cum-commissary in
Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City to cater to the
Mandaluyong and Ortigas business districts.
By 2003, the company had six outlets, mainly
located in the mall food courts. That year, Binalot
started growing exponentially when it began
franchising.
As of 2008, the company has 42 outlets, eight
of which are company-owned while the rest are
franchisee-owned. From five employees, Binalot
now has around 300 employees.
Rommel Juan, who also happens to be the
current president of the Association of Filipino
Franchisors (AFFI), declares that one of the best
moves of the company is to open Binalot’s door to
franchising.
He added that partnering with Plantersbank
has also been a big turning point for Binalot. He
says Plantersbank is the only bank with a good
support strategy for small and medium enterprises
(SMEs).
The bank not only helps in financing but it
also offers other valuable services such as setting
up accounting systems for their clients.
Rommel says Binalot’s plans for the future
include further upgrading the kitchen systems,
enhancing its franchise operations, reinforcing its
delivery services, and developing the bulk order
market, among others.
However, the bottomline is Binalot will always
“keep it fun” and it will always be loyal to Filipino
values and traditions.
Binalot Fiesta Foods, Inc.
3686 BUJ Building, Sun Valley Drive,
Sun Valley Subdivision, Parañaque, Philippines
Tel No.: (02) 821-0509
Email: bdd@binalot.com
website: www.binalot.com
For bulk orders and deliveries please call 467-8888.
Rommel Juan with
service crew of Binalot
Dela Rosa Branch in
Makati.
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