Quintana
Sherill Quintana is the founder and president of Oryspa Spa Solutions, Inc., the leading maker of health and beauty products made from all-natural rice bran.
It won the “Most Promising Franchise” at the 2015 Franchise Excellence Awards and the “Asean Business Awards for Excellence in Healthcare” at the Asean Business Summit at Vientiane, Laos last Sept. 5, 2016.
A multi-awarded entrepreneur, Quintana was named “Asean Woman Entrepreneur” in Hanoi, Vietnam and one of Go Negosyo’s “Most Inspiring Filipina”, both in 2016.
She shares here her thoughts on how she started Oryspa and her goal of making it a global brand.
Q: You started as a toll manufacturer. Please briefly share with us your business genesis.
A: Sixteen years ago, I was making candles in my kitchen and practicing aromatherapy to kill time during a difficult pregnancy.
I never planned to be an entrepreneur. In fact, I was looking forward to going back to development work. But, I wasn’t able to find an available nanny. So with the help of a sturdy baby car seat, I brought my son with me to bazaars in Ateneo and Miriam College.
Then and there, I realized that entrepreneurship was a good fit for mommies.
After 10 years and three more children, the business still had no projections and not much of a system. It had its ups and downs. I ran it like my household.
Later on, I learned that most micro-entrepreneurs like me were losing opportunities to build an empire and touch more lives because business systems were not in place.
For several years, we became an indirect exporter and supplied some spas with massage oils.
However, without a differentiating factor, my products suffered greatly during price wars.
Q: How did you discover the raw material rice bran (‘darak’) and what made you decide to use it as a key ingredient in your spa products?
A: In 2008, I came across a study on Japan’s rice wine and I had a eureka moment after reading the side comments on the article: “the Japanese workers exposed to the bran being removed from the rice have fair and smooth skin”.
It also helps that I am married to an agriculturist, who specialized in plant breeding and was adept at rice research.
We both set up a research laboratory where we developed the first five products, later branded Oryspa.
Q: How did you face branding and positioning challenges since ‘darak’ is commonly fed to pigs here in the Philippines.
A: It was challenging to introduce Oryspa to the market. I had to intensify product awareness.
I also reviewed client feedback and listened to the consumers to determine which products were in need.
Studies showed that there was an increasing consciousness about the carcinogenic effects of chemical-laden topical products.
Also, alternative organic products proved to be more in demand to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Oryspa focused on offering products to address these needs.
The brand was named after the scientific name of rice – Oryza sativa.
Q: Your vision is for Oryspa to become an international Filipino brand. Tell us the thought process behind this.
A: From exporting products before Oryspa, I learned that the strategies we had for almost a decade can never be applied to the new brand, if I wanted different results.
One thing that was wrong before was I lacked a clear vision.
Vision as part of a brand’s DNA answers your where and why. Brand founders should be clear about this at the onset.
Part of my “why” is the desire to be known as a Filipino brand.
I believe that changing the culture of your business changes your game.
It has always been fulfilling for me to build a homegrown brand and making it ready for global trade. —CONTRIBUTED