APO ni Lola Durian Delicacies, a homegrown business in Davao City, was declared winner of this year’s Productivity Olympics-Small Enterprise Category during the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao Region Productivity Olympics held at Seda Abreeza last Tuesday, July 18.
The Productivity Olympics is being held by DTI Davao Region every two years to acknowledge the micro, small, and medium enterprises in the region under different categories and industries. DTI considers the innovation and improvement the participating business had gone through for the past two years.
Apo ni Lola Durian Delicacies Operations Manager Imee Marie Añabesa-Acopiado said the Productivity Improvement Plan (PIP) of the participating enterprise is one of the most crucial basis for the award.
“It encapsulates, not just on the labor aspect, but more of the other key areas of the business. So aside from human resource, they have also considered the production, they have also considered your marketing, and your people. They will also consider the changes and the growth that the company had been through for the past two years,” said Acopiado.
She said she believes their improved production and innovation aspect had made them win the award yet again as they had first won it in 2015.
From 15 to 20 batches of durian candies produced daily, she said they are now currently producing 30 to 40 batches of durian candies. Each batch consists of around 1,200 pieces of durian balls. She said aside from the work they had put through to have quality products, they are also invested on having quality and presentable packaging.
“Packaging is very important because the first thing that consumers check upon buying the item is the packaging itself. It should be presentable, it should sell the product as it is already. Good packaging also lengthens the shelf life of the product. It protects the product from the external environment,” Acopiado said.
Acopiado said they are grateful for the help that their government partners had given them especially of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) which mainly helped them with their production development and DTI which assisted them with their marketing as they are usually recommended to the tourists coming in the region.
As for the innovation aspect, Acopiado said they did not solely focus on producing durian and other fruit candies. In 2014, they launched their baking department after acquisition of mixers and other baking equipment. This business expansion helped their business to be more known as more than a durian delicacy shop.
