Pest steers entrepreneurs in direction of profit

Nino Bautista and John Redentor Gatus Jr. — Leo Sabangan II

Over 10 years ago, a pest almost got in the way of integrated neutraceutical, beauty and vitamin company Bargn Farmaceutici Philippines’ first big business break.

Only 22 then, Nino Bautista, one of Bargn’s founders, boldly walked into the office of Watsons in Pasay City—without an appointment—ready to sell his locally manufactured food supplements and whitening products.

“We only had a small office then with one four-in-one printer and a desktop. I prepared a company profile, put it in a folder. At Watsons, I saw the manager approaching, and I thought I would review the profile. When I opened the folder, there was a dead cockroach stuck to the folder!” Bautista recalls, laughing. “I was shaken; how was I going to present? But I got a hold of myself and just started talking [about] my products, since I knew them by heart. The manager tried to get the profile I prepared, but I just said, I’ll give you another copy as this one’s incomplete.”

He left the meeting in low spirits, thinking he would never receive a call from Watsons—but the opposite happened quickly.

“As I was driving away from their office, the manager called me up and asked me to return to sign an exclusive contract with them,” Bautista says.

That was in 2006, and the door that Watsons opened led Bargn to many more breaks.

Within a year, Bautista and cofounder John Redentor Gatus Jr. were able to launch their own weight management line, as well as soaps or beauty bars. They now also distribute to other pharmacies such as Mercury Drug, Rose Pharmacy and South Star Drug, as well as Robinsons Supermarket and SM’s Beauty Section.

This year, the company marks one of its biggest milestones: the opening of a new 6,500-square meter manufacturing facility in Dasmariñas, Cavite, which Bautista says can produce 50,000 food supplement capsules a day. It’s a big leap from its first facility in Tagaytay City, which was located just behind Bautista’s parents’ home.

“I used to work with the family business, which was also pharmaceutical manufacturing. There came a point when I wanted to concentrate more on food supplements, all-natural supplements, and glutathione. I myself was already using glutathione, but at the time it wasn’t readily available in the market. There were only a few. So I quit my job,” says Bautista of Bargn’s beginnings.

Gatus, on the other hand, left his post as a flight attendant when Bautista asked him to join Bargn. The company’s name is a jumbled combination of the two founders’ initials.

“When [Gatus] and I created this business, I felt really happy to be working with someone who was on the same path, whose ideas jibed with mine. We wanted to focus on creating high-quality products that are made for every Filipino. We really wanted to address customers’ needs.”

Bautista started as a door-to-door salesman, peddling his wares to aesthetic centers. He had to deal with a lot of rejection, says the BS Pharmacy graduate of Centro Escolar University.

“It was hard, but if you love what you’re doing, it’s hard to just quit,” he says.

Thankfully, Watsons came along—and the rest, Bautista says, is history.

The company has started to export its products, with its first overseas clients in the United Arab Emirates. By next year, Bargn plans to launch its own sunblock, a cosmetics line and 50 new supplements.

“Our products were received well. I think the quality spoke for itself, otherwise we would have lost to bigger brands. We had no celebrity endorsers when we started, so our only trademark was our quality. And getting feedback from people, how they were getting fairer skin, for example, that really made us happy and pushed us to do more,” he says.

Gatus adds: “And because we’re a local brand, we’re more affordable, so we’re able to cater to all Filipinos.”