By Jose Paolo S. dela Cruz
At 39, Jasper Munji saw life as a series of ladders to climb. From being a bright-eyed graduate who got employed by a large company, he worked his way up the commodities trading division, before finally becoming an executive for a startup. And then the pandemic happened – and climbing ladders was no longer quite as simple.
What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, says the age-old adage. The same could be said of Munji, whose company’s survival suddenly faced uncertainty in the early months of the lockdown. His wife, who was in the airline industry, was staring at an equally grim horizon.
In their search for new, more reliable sources of income, the couple decided to pursue a dream that once took a backseat: owning a restaurant. But not just the usual restaurant, which also took a direct hit during the pandemic. Instead, he invested part of their family savings in a franchise for a Korean barbecue brand before he began selling frozen meat products online.
At first, their clientele was limited to friends, family and tenants in nearby residential properties. It was an exciting start, but then again, Munji did not venture into business for the sheer thrill of it. He needed to see a fairly quick return on his investment, as he looked for opportunities to expand his operations.
One such option was to sell in his local community at Princeton Residences in New Manila. When Munji requested SM Development Corp. (SMDC) for clearance to sell, what he got was an invitation to join “The Good Guys Market,” a weekend bazaar set up by SMDC.
Aside from being free of charge, the program was designed to help community vendors—especially new ones like himself—to set up shop. For the first time after so many years, Munji, a ladder-climbing-general-manager-turned-entrepreneur, became a student once more.
First-day jitters
“We set up very early that day,” Munji recalls. “I caught a cold three days before the opening so we weren’t prepared. There were no tarps, no uniform. All we had was an icebox and a table.”
Along with the simple setup was the distinction of being the only meat seller in a bazaar that sold mostly greens, as The Good Guys Market was established to connect displaced farmers with consumers through SM Foundation’s “Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan on Sustainable Agriculture” program.
Soon enough, Munji’s unique stall caught the attention of a curious customer: a well-loved resident that the Princeton community fondly calls “lola.” As it turned out, lola had no clue about Munji’s frozen Korean goods, or samgyupsal.
“Baka ‘di ko makagat yan?” Munji remembers her asking. “Baka mabali ‘yung pustiso ko.”
The seller allayed his curious customer’s concerns, saying that samgyupsal is cut thinly, making it easy to cook, chew and digest. Convinced, lola made a purchase and she has been a regular customer since. She also proved to be a lucky charm, as Munji sold out the day’s stock.
Munji bought his Princeton unit at the pre-selling stage in 2009. “When I saw the model unit, layout, and plans, I decided that this was where I’d start my family. This is our dream home,” he says. Aside from being the ‘village’ that helped raise his three kids, has says that the community also presented him with the chance to earn and continue to serve food on the table during a tough time like this.
Star student
Munji has grown a lot as a businessman since joining the program.
“We learned through The Good Guys Market that business is not just about the quality of products you’re selling. It’s also about how you market your brand to make it more appealing to different types of clients,” he said.
He also discovered the importance of listening to client feedback. His samgyupsal continues to be a top-seller. But Korean barbecue is largely viewed as weekend food; the customers were asking for meals for everyday consumption.
While looking for ways to meet the demand, Munji came across a chef who was laid off from work. He asked the chef to create samples of products. He tasted the products and decided to try a new concept. This led to the birth of Mr. Chef. The brand offers ready-to-eat meals – from Bicol Express to Queso de Bola Caldereta, Japanese Curry and the bestselling Roastbeef Lenggua.
Munji and his partner introduced 10 microwaveable tubs at The Good Guys Market. These days, with clients beginning to buy in bulk for a week’s worth of food, they are targeting as much as 80 tubs per outing.
Apart from providing a marketplace for its residents, SMDC has also been conducting an entrepreneurship webinar series to help prepare residents for their business start-ups, from getting business permits all the way to product development and marketing.
Munji has attended all of SMDC’s entrepreneurship webinars. He has also expanded his operations outside Princeton and now joins The Good Guys Market in other SMDC properties, such as Mezza in Quezon City, Breeze in Manila and Shell Residences in the Mall of Asia Complex.
“SMDC has helped us find a way to survive this pandemic,” Munji concluded. “Moving forward, we hope to open a store. We really have to prevail and level up in the new normal.”
