How kiddie parties gave rise to a three-branch bakeshop

AGNES “Aggy” Villabona

This is the story of a little bakeshop with big dreams.

Agnes Cayetano Villabona, owner of Aggy’s cakes & sweets, describes how her bakeshop began. Aggy, as friends’ call her, already has a penchant for baking ever since she was little. In 1988, her best friend, who then worked for Jollibee, asked Aggy to bake a cake for her boss. To Aggy’s surprise, her cake was an instant hit.

It was around this time when Jollibee’s kiddie parties started growing roots. Jollibee opened their doors for accreditations for those who would want to create themes and design cakes for the fast-food chain. Aggy, who is a cum laude graduate of Fine Arts and Advertising from the University of Santo Tomas, tried her luck in the  accreditation.

Aggy comes from a family who loves to bake goods and sell things. “It was my mother, Aida, who taught me how to bake and my father was managing a mini retailing store at Recto. As a child, I was already exposed to the world of business,” she recounts. She then used her “business mind” when she presented to Jollibee.

A SESAME Street-inspired cake

She remembers that she bought with her figurines and said to the Jollibee group that she can turn their famous characters into figurines to be placed on top of the cakes. Jollibee’s management liked what they saw and approved her accreditation. But it came with a condition that she opened her own bakeshop outlet. They explained to her that she needs to open a business to make it a legitimate accreditation between two corporations.

Aggy readily agreed to the condition. “I remember it was Jollibee which suggested that I name my business after me,” she says.

Aggy’s Cakes & Sweets started its operation in 1989 supplying birthday party cakes to Jollibee until 2005 when Jollibee acquired Red Ribbon. From a home kitchen setup, Aggy’s cakes and sweets have evolved into a fully equipped baking facility.

Together with husband Romeo they continued their baking business. She describes their first store was only 30 square meters. It was located in Phase 1 of BF Homes in Parañaque.

Their first kitchen was located at her parents’ residence also in BF Homes. “With so much clutter, my parents’ house no longer looked like a house. My siblings would complain that it was such a mess,” she narrates.

Aggy recalls that their starting capital was less than P100,000. Back then, she had less overhead expenses because she made her goods at her parents’ kitchen. “Kung ano lang ang meron sa bahay, yung muna ang ginagamit (We only used what was available in my parents’ house),” she says. During the early years, they did not yet think of how much they would profit. “Kung ano ang kinikita, ipinapaikot din namin (We used the initial earnings to improve our business),” Aggy, 51, says.

OCCASION cakes from Aggy’s

Romeo, who joined the company in 1991, is the former assistant marketing manager of Storck Products Inc.-makers of Storck candies and Bazooka Bubble Gum. He recounts that their first purchase for their little bakery was a bicycle. He remembers that he and Aggy even argued on what kind of bicycle to acquire.

“We were thinking whether to buy a bike with a sidecar or a two-seat bike. We were going to use this for the delivery of our goods from the house to the bakeshop,” he narrates. He says they really started small. He adds that their first staff was made up of a household help and a cook.

After they went solo in 1991, the husband and wife tandem became more involved with their product. Both being fine arts graduates, they designed the boxes and logos. In time, they focused on improving their product by selling more than just cakes. They baked loaves of bread and pan de sal.

“When I saw the need, I fulfilled it by studying how to bake it,” she says. Aggy participated in baking lessons under the tutelage of Heny Sison, Sylvia Reynoso, Center for Culinary Arts, Mrs. Floriendo, Insular Bakery and Dorothy Ferreria. “I believe that you should never stop learning, even if you spend money on it because you will reap the benefits someday,” she adds.

Asked about the difficulties she encountered, Aggy says, “It’s really, really hard work.” She describes that being an entrepreneur is truly a 24/7 job.

“I bring my work home, eat with it, sleep with it and wake up with,” she adds. She says that you truly must possess the gut and the determination to pursue a vision.

Aggy recalls that Jollibee made their first wave of order during their honeymoon. She remembers that she was at the hotel room while Jollibee booked its orders. “Even in our honeymoon, we were working,” she says.

The hard work begins with securing the necessary permits. “But that’s just the beginning. The process can be scary for a newbie,” Aggy says. But she points out that no star is out of reach. Yet she hopes that somehow the government would find ways to fine-tune the system of setting up a new business.

“It has a long way to go. Lots of room for improvement,” she states.

Yet Aggy’s Bakeshop has survived and it is still surviving to this day. “In order to survive, you have to find ways to reinvent yourself. Offer variety to your customers and try to answer their needs,” Aggy says.

Now, their bakeshop has three branches located in Festival Mall in Alabang, Magallanes and BF Homes. Their kitchen moved out of her parents’ house and transferred to Parañaque with a production area of 720 square meters.

In order to maintain the freshness of their goods, Aggy sells their bread for half the price twice a week. “We hold sales in order to avoid spoilage. It’s very true that customers can taste the difference in your product. You could never hide it if your goods are no longer fresh,” she explains.

“Don’t be afraid to fail,” this is her advice to those who would want to make their mark in the bread and pastry business. “You will never learn if you do not fail. There are lessons in every failure. You should never forget the lessons,” she says.

For manpower, Aggy employs around 30 people. She says that managing employees is like having an extended family. “I always tell them to work hard, remain humble and don’t spend beyond your means. They should always think of the bakeshop as a means to give their children a better future,” she adds.

Asked on her favorite part on managing Aggy’s, she says that she finds the occasion cakes such a delightful task. “It makes me think out of the box and it brings out my creativity,” she answers. Even her daughters, Arianne, Anelle and Aisha, participate in the inception of the cakes. Aggy says that from the sketching of the design to the finishing touches make her job as a baker cum entrepreneur such a joyful task. “It is never boring. Each cake is always a different one. And this is what makes it special,” she adds.

Aggy’s chocolate moist caramel cake won the quest for the best chocolate cake by Glam-O-Mamas—a group of bloggers who specialize on mothering advice and experiences on the best products for mothers and their children. The runner-up also went to Aggy’s choco lava cake.

Right now, Aggy teaches at Heny Sison Culinary School in Quezon City. “I teach subjects such as cake rolls, fondant for beginners, themed cupcakes, party theme cakes, three-tier fondant for beginners and cookies for all occasions. I only teach twice a week but how I wish I could devote my time to teaching. Because it keeps me abreast with the latest trends and helps me avoid stagnation. At the same time, I get to share my skills to my students,” she says.

On the lessons, Aggy imparts to her students, “You have to be passionate about what you’re doing. Without it, it won’t prosper. You really have to love what you do despite the pain attached to it.

I also tell my students to make sure that they have a product that they believe in before opening a store. A product that will sell that people will keep coming back for and that will eventually help their business to grow,” Aggy shares.