All families go through difficult times and experience occasional problems.  The Salgado family of Santa Maria, San Manuel, Tarlac is no exception.  A conflict in the family led Charlotte Salgado, or Tats as she is fondly called, to stay in Baguio for one year and four.  She previously worked as an OFW in Dubai for five years before coming back to the Philippines.

 

Despite being away from her hometown, Tats was still aware of the trends in San Manuel.  Through Facebook, she came to know of a certain product called Gourmet Tuyo which trended among her San Manueleño Facebook friends.  Out of curiosity, she asked her niece, who was studying in Baguio then, to buy her a bottle to taste. However, her niece always forgot her request.  Eager to taste one, she tried doing her own gourmet tuyo.  She started to share it with her neighbors and gathered their feedback.  She tried revising her recipe based on the comments, until she got the right one. From then on, she cooked her own gourmet tuyo whenever she wants one.  At times, she would share it with her neighbors.  

 

One day, Tats got a call from her sister inviting her to come home on her wedding day.  She decided to set aside whatever conflict she had with her family. She came home to attend her sister’s wedding.  The day after, she sniffed a foul smell while her brother-in-law was eating.  She saw him eating a bottle of Gourmet Tuyo and learned that he was about to order a box to bring with him abroad.

 

She told him not to order anymore (because of the foul smell) and volunteered to cook for him.  She went to the market, bought all the ingredients needed, and cooked her recipe. Her family loved her Gourmet Tuyo and encouraged her to turn it into a business.  They convinced her to stay and assured her that they will help her with the production.

 

Having no income during that time, Tats thought that having a business could be a good idea.  This could be the instrument which can help her patch things up with her family.  Because of this, she decided to stay longer and start the business with the help of her aunt, who gave her the funds to produce the initial products.

 

 

After several months of trial, she saw that her business is growing as manifested by the orders she has been receiving.  With this, she went to the DTI Negosyo Center in San Manuel to seek help in the registration of her business.  She was able to register her business and was offered a free logo and label design.  Now, her product already has its own identity.  This gave her the confidence to present her product to a local supermarket in Baguio.  She was also able to participate in the Labor Day Trade Fair at the Tarlac Provincial Capitol.

 

Gourmet tuyo has done a great part in changing the life of Tats.  Besides having healed the breach with her family because of this, she was able to talk with her other cousins and relatives with whom she was not close with before.  It also lifted her life’s status, financially and emotionally. It is surprising how a simple gourmet tuyo can improve one’s life.♦