Jollibee dropped by for a visit

Well, the founder and the CEO of the company, that is.

Jollibee is known mainly for its food... and its mascot. As a child, I would look forward to the day my parents would bring me and my siblings to a Jollibee store. We used to go as far as the branch along Quentin Paredes Street in Binondo. Eventually, the Calamba Crossing branch opened, and it fast became the meeting place, stopover, and celebration venue for my family for a long time (until my siblings went to Manila to attend college, really). In short, Jollibee occupies a happy part of my childhood memories. 

The fond memories of playgrounds and special Hetty and Popo spoons and forks (which they used to give away instead of toys in the precursor of the Kid's Meal) were why I was excited when I found out that founder and the CEO of the fast food chain, Mr. Tony Tan Caktiong, was going to share Jollibee's role in agricultural development during a lecture in IRRI. Imagine, the 11th richest man in the Philippines (according to the latest Forbes survey) up on stage! The closest I got to these rich and famous people, previously, was when HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand visited the office. 

I learned a lot from Mr. Tony Tan Caktiong's lecture... 
  1. Corporate social responsibility. The company helps enable farmers produce quality vegetables by providing a stable market. As a result of steady income, farmers started having higher incomes; they were able to pay off their debts, send their kids to school, and invest in equipment that can help them increase productivity. The video clip he presented showed the success story of the onion farmers. It was very inspiring.
  2. Be versatile. Jollibee began as an ice cream parlour years before I was born. By being open to consumers' suggestions, he and his wife were able to transform the ice cream place into a hamburger place... and into this fast food chain that has now gone global. 
  3. We are family. From his talk, I gathered that his family is very much involved in the business. He and his wife opened the ice cream house in the late 70's. Now, the family's next generation is looking at further expanding the reach of the Jollibee brand, ensuring the long-term success of the company. 
  4. Do your best. This, he deemed, is one of the secrets behind Jollibee's success story; a lesson he learned from his father. He related that his father used to say something like "If you are a tailor, make good fitting clothes for your customers." Thus, as a restaurant owner, he makes sure that his customers get high quality food all the time. By doing what he does best, he said, he was giving back to the community. 
Thank you, Sir, for sharing your story with us.  

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