Woman entrepreneur carves niche in milk tea biz

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It was the frozen yogurt craze 12 years ago that   prompted Ana Margarita Lustre-Malijan, a civil engineer and Palawan native, to establish  Frotea  in a small family-owned property in Puerto Princesa.

MELIJAN

When the froyo hype died down, Malijan added  milk tea to the offerings of Frotea which later became the flagship product of the business.

Malijan was running the business on the side while busy with her day job, happy that the lone store was enjoying a stable clientele.

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Thus it was not a surprise the second branch came five years after the first one was established.

Malijan wanted to be sure she can duplicate the business.

Malijan’s “a-ha” moment came in 2018 when Frotea joined a school fair and was selling 300 to 400 cups of milk tea a day during the duration of the fair.

This is when Malijan decided to branch out especially as she was receiving numerous inquiries for franchise.

Soon, Malijan opened five more stores in Puerto Princesa. The first two branches outside Palawan which are located in Batangas are company owned.

By 2019, Malijan opened Frotea for franchise but the pandemic put the expansion on hold.

Malijan strengthened its franchising with the help of  Francorp to make sure it is equipped with back-office and legal support.

Today, Frotea has 12 company-owned stores and seven franchise stores.

The company is expanding this year, still in Palawan and in Southern Luzon.

According to Malijan, focusing in these areas is a deliberate strategy for Frotea  because it is a proven concept in  the provinces.

“We wanted to grow where we are more sure of the market rather than  jump into Metro Manila,” said Malijan, adding customers in the provinces are more price conscious.

For Malijan, it’s the “sulit” or value-for-money  that generates loyalty from clients.

According to Malijan, the company is slowly inching towards Metro Manila with its branch in Bacoor, Cavite.

Prices range from P60 to P100.  One of its bestsellers is the Panda, the classic milk tea.

Frotea also introduced its milk tea-based  ice cream  and bingsu-inspired shaved ice still using milk tea.

“We wanted to make sure that we are not just serving milk tea. This is a solid concept  that is hard to copy,” Malijan said.

Frotea comes in various formals from  kiosks in malls as well as inline stores and  stand alone  stores near schools.

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From just two employees in 2012, Frotea now has – 40 people.

Malijan’s perseverance made Frotea work right from the start and especially during the pandemic.

“Instead of giving up, we improved our operations,” Malijan said.

Malijan conducts extensive research on the product/s and partners with the best source of  raw materials. Its  tea, syrups and tapiocas  are all imported.

Frotea currently operates commissaries in Makati City and in Puerto Princesa.

Frotea offers an all-in package for Franchise starting at P300,00 including construction cost and initial inventory.  Irma Isip

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