Maria Lydia P. Lomibao, General Manager/Owner at J. Emmanuel Pastries… a woman…wife…mother… grandmother…entrepreneur…leader… and an Atenean!
The products of her company, Bikol’s very own pilinut; a premium nut now on its way to conquer the world. Moreover, the Philippines is the only country which produces it in commercial quantity and Bicol is the center of its genetic diversity contributing an overwhelming 85% of the country’s harvest.
The Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 5 declared that “It can rightly be said that a significant contribution in the development of the pili industry have been made by a couple who began their ‘vision and mission’ when the enterprising newly-wed housewife started J. Emmanuel Pastries (JEP) which she predicted clients will keep on wanting and buying more.
Established by the couple Joseph and Maria Lydia Lomibao way back in 1995 out of their last Php 500 remaining from their wedding kitty, it has grown from a micro-entrepreneur to a Medium-sized business it is now and still growing.
J. Emmanuel Pastries – THE HOUSE OF PILI is the acknowledged domestic and foreign markets leader of the pili industry DESPITE being the YOUNGEST among the big pili processors in the country.
From the all-time favorite Round and Boat Tarts produced from the very first day of its existence and delivered to market stalls in the city as well as to the Albay province, the product variants and lines grew.
Over the years under Lyd Lomibao’s leadership, the company’s unceasing efforts for product innovation and quality have resulted in increased volume and more types of pili products from the more common sugar-coated Crispy Pilinuts to diverse sweets and confectioneries such as the Crispy Pilinut w/ Honey, Roasted Pilinuts, Crispy Pilinut w/ Garlic, Mazapan de Pil, Pan de Pili, Suspiros de Pili, to name a few.
Production starts with the sourcing of the raw materials (PILI) from superior quality pili trees, now mostly sources in Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon. The raw materials are then processed into various pastries and candies following strict sanitary standards of the Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP), Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP), as well as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and home-perfected recipes thus conforming to INTERNATIONAL FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS. To date, it is the only MSME which is HACCP -certified based in the Bicol Region.
Delectable taste is not the only thing which sets Lyd’s pili products above the rest –
The use of the latest packaging materials and style add more appeal to foodstuff as “pasalubong” products and, as importantly extend shelf-life and ensure maximum product quality from tree to table.
While most Filipino businesses bank on product quality and affordability, J. Emmanuel Pastries’ secret to their truly sweet success includes unceasing product research and innovation to cope with the growing sophistication of the market thereby enabling them to penetrate the foreign market.
Thru Lyd Lomibao’s diligent participation in required trainings, JEP has successfully hurdled Japan’s stringent prerequisites regarding raw material source, plant/factory and employees sanitation, advocacy and adherence to phyto-sanitary standards, meticulous choice of packaging materials.
A strong advocate of partnership with the government, the company has joined hands with national agencies to make the region’s prime commodity a new dollar-earner for the country: DOST’s Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (DOST-SETUP); DTI’s assistance in the form of skills and managerial trainings, benchmarking and selling missions, business consultancy and market linkaging, including invitations to local, national and international trade fairs; and DA’s linking of JEP with pili farmers, participation in agricultural fairs, and promotion of JEP products.
Because of its contribution to the development of the pili industry and the successful promotion of the pilinut, J. Emmanuel Pastries has received numerous awards and citations, the most notable of which is being named by the DTI as “THE HOUSE OF PILI” last 2013.
Maria Lydia P. Lomibao has received, 4 Presidential Awards;
2017 Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneur (Micro-Small Business Category Dept. of Trade & Industry together with Go Negosyo Foundation 30 March 2017 Malacanan Palace
2009 Presidential Award for Outstanding Small Enterprise MSM Enterprise Development Week, DTI
8 July 2009 SM Mega Mall Mega Trade Hall
2008 One of the 50 Men and Women of Science Awardee (Technology Adoptor)
Department of Science & Technology
2008 National Gawad Saka Awardee High-Value Commercial Crop Department of Agriculture
12 July 2008 Malacanan Palace
Numerous equally important awards and citations came their way; JEP’s General Manager/Owner was a Halyao Awardee as Outstanding Bicolano Businessperson for 2016 and the Naga Cty’s Mayoral Award – Leon SA Aureus Award.
These awards speak well of her and her company; what J. Emmanuel Pastries – THE HOUSE OF PILI as an organization is; its people well-compensated, doing the best to their abilities thereby contributing to the general well-being of Bicolanos and Filipinos as a whole.
As a true partner in countryside development, J. Emmanuel Pastries under Lyd Lomibao’s has been providing employment opportunities not only to local residents but also helping local pili growers by absorbing their produce through fair marketing agreements and appropriate price. With pili as its main ingredient and tourists as a major client-base, J. Emmanuel Pastries helps promote Bicol agri-tourism, indigenous products and Bicol culture. It has unselfishly shared its entrepreneurial acumen and vast experience to fellow Bicolanos, especially the youth by having its General Manager and other qualified personnel serve as resource persons in school and universities with entrepreneurship courses. Furthermore, she has generously opened her stores to fellow entrepreneurs coming from all over the Bicol Region
To display and sell their respective products.
More importantly, an integral part of JEP’s social responsibility is working toward environmental preservation and conservation as this will help sustain the business by ensuring a steady supply of pili. Hence, J. Emmanuel Pastries – THE HOUSE OF PILI launched in September 2013 PILIpinas – The World’s First Pili Contract-Growing Project. This notable undertaking will produce new jobs, new business opportunities, stabilize the price of raw pilinuts, help generate additional income for farmers/landowners, help utilize idle lands, prevent erosion, and bring in more foreign currency in the growing world demand for our very own pilinuts!
JEP has also adopted Sitio Mambagacay, Barangay Denrica, enthroning as Patron Saint – Pedro Calungsod where regular medial, dental and surgical clinics are held aside from others from sponsoring the place’s annual feast day and distributing emergency relief goods.
The lasting heirloom JEP as a company partakes its employees and the community is the imparted knowledge through continuous training about Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points, among others, which can be adapted in their household and individual needs to prevent diseases through proper actions. Think how many individuals and families directly benefit from the knowledge shared for the common good through the years not to mention producing safe and quality products for the world through the years!
She is Maria Lydia Perez. Lomibao, A true Atenean, living the Ateneo way for others!
