Pursuing a 24-year-old dream
“It wasn’t work for me because baking is what I love and enjoy doing,” says Ellen Yu Lee.
CEBU CITY—Ellen Yu Lee, a 34-year-old mother of two, fell in love with baking when she was 10.
While she pursued a degree in accountancy, her love for baking never waned.
After graduating from the University of San Carlos in 1999, Ellen put on hold her dream to pursue baking as a business to help with their family business in wholesale trading.
Three years later, Ellen decided it was time to fulfill her dream.
She enrolled at the Center for Culinary Arts in Manila in 2002 and graduated a year after. Four years later, she put up Country Baskets.
“I liked baking ever since I was a child. Country Baskets is a dream come true,” she says.
She explains that she started baking cakes when she was young because she can express herself through it.
“My thoughts, tastes and styles can be manifested through my products. It’s a very warm and humbling feeling when I hear people complimenting my cakes. When I hear praises for my creations, the more I love to bake,” Ellen explains.
She finally decided to pursue her love for baking in 2007, setting up the Country Baskets with an initial investment of P1 million.
With the help of her parents Maning and Teresita Yu, both 63, Lee put up her commissary in their family compound in Barangay (village) Apas, Cebu City, where she bakes and designs her cakes.
The state-of-the-art commissary, which occupies the first floor of her house, has two deck ovens, a planetary mixer and a spiral mixer, all purchased from Manila. The chiller and freezer were bought in Cebu. Ellen uses cutters, baking pans and cake decorating items bought from US.
But starting the pastry business was not easy for Ellen since Cebu has a lot of pastry shops.
However, she still pursues it because of the positive feedback of her customers. “It wasn’t work for me because baking is what I love and enjoy doing,” she tells BusinessFriday.
When she started, Ellen marketed her products by sending letters of intent and handed samples to different establishments.
Now, she relies more on the Internet, such as Facebook, through referrals and word of mouth.
“Most of my new customers have tasted my products in a party or gathering or got it as a gift, then they call me,” she says.
Country Baskets banks on the freshness and good quality products made from “carefully selected imported ingredients.”
Ellen created over 64 original recipes by herself. She doesn’t mind doing everything from the cake base to the icing because she loves what she does, says Ellen.
“What makes Country Baskets different is that it offers cake lovers home-made goodies that will make their senses get out of the basket. Hence, the name,” Ellen adds.
She explains that it usually takes a week to perfect her recipes, which can be customized depending on the preference of her customers.
Ellen bakes orders a day before the event to assure that her customers get the freshest home-made treats that are “moist, yummy, and original.”
From baking cup cakes, bars and cookies, Country Baskets now offers whole cakes and lace cakes.
In a day, she can bake a thousand cupcakes or more; over a hundred bars; and 80-100 whole cakes.
Country Basket’s whole cake bestseller is Kahlua Walnut Pie made of chocolate cookie crust with caramelized walnut then topped with dark chocolate mousse.
Whole cakes cost P600-P1,600; lace cakes for P300 to P600; bars for P200-P400 with 20 pieces per box; cookies from P300-P350 with 20-24 pieces per box and cupcakes for P55 each with 12 pieces per box.
“Our products are not cheap because of its quality,” Ellen says, adding that she places emphasis on quality over price. Doing so will ensure that she satisfies the cravings of her customers, she says.
Upon tasting a Country Basket cake, Peter Blanco, 27, a resident of Barangay (village) Labangon in Cebu City has this to say, “Lami (It’s yummy). It’s not too sweet. It’s just right and that’s coming from a guy who doesn’t eat cake that much.”
Aside from taking orders for private events, Country Baskets also provides sweet treats to other food establishments and coffee shops in Cebu.
According to Ellen, some of the challenges of putting up a new business is to create own product signatures and compete with other food businesses.
“Luckily, my husband, kids and friends help me with it. I get customers through word of mouth,” she says.
Ellen’s husband John, also a businessman, and her two kids, Eliana and Elise, are her food critics, who help ensure that the signature home-made taste of Country Baskets goodies will be achieved.
According to Ellen, she’s very happy with how the business has been doing, especially now that her customers are growing.
Country Baskets has yet to put up its own pastry shop although they are considering the possibility of having one.
“There are a lot of factors to consider, like scouting for a good location and considering financial constraints. But we’ll see soon,” Ellen says.
