BA 175

Special Project: Writing a Case Study

Activity 1. The subject company

1. The organization

a. History of the Company

For almost about four decades, Original Biscocho Haus has been the favorite ​pasalubong shop of

Ilonggo delicacies. Original Biscocho Haus started as a small family business of the Guadarrama family.

Biscocho Haus was started by Dr. Carlos L. Guadarrama and his wife Therese J. Guadarrama.

Their son, Jerry Guadarrama is currently the company’s owner and is a graduate of Bachelor of

Science in Business Administration in the University of the Philippines Diliman. Due to the growing

demand of their tasty treats, they have come up with new products which were first made in their family

kitchens since they also have lands that helps them to produce flour. The family is passionate in food and

cooking, especially in Ilonggo delicacies. They decided that they wanted to share their passion and love

for food so that others may also enjoy and experience it. Thus, Original Biscocho Haus was formed. It

started as a small cottage-like bakeshop where the biscocho was their primary product, which is also their

specialty good, thus became the name of their shop.

Original Biscocho Haus has been serving Ilonggos and tourists visiting the city for more than three

decades now. Original Biscocho Haus started in 1975 as a humble bakeshop at the garage of the late Dr.

Carlos Guadarrama and Teresa Jalandoni-Guadarrama. Some of the pioneer products of Original

Biscocho Haus are the famous butterscotch, banana marbles, galletas, and of course, the name-sake of the

store, biscocho.

Since Original Biscocho Haus first opened its doors in 1975, more and more customers patronize their

products. In the 90’s they have expanded its product line and have branched out to other provinces,
having branches all over Panay Island, as well as in Bacolod City in the region and had put up a lot of

express stalls around the city, providing ease and convenience to their buyers.

b. Vision, mission, business philosophy and culture of the company

Vision:

To share the passion and love for food and delicacies to Ilonggos and tourists and preserve the

Ilonggo ​pasalubong​ culture through experiencing Biscocho Haus.

Mission:

Biscocho Haus’ mission is to produce hand-decorated products, made-from-scratch breads,

bagels, cakes, and cookies, which are served in military campus. Its staff consists of skilled bakers with

over 150 years of combined experience.

Business Philosophy:

The corporation is built around a set of values inspired by Jose Gerardo’s parents, including perseverance

and hard work, fiscal discipline, community service, and generosity of spirit.

Culture of the Company:

Filipinos are food lovers who always want something unique and distinctive when it comes to food. Iloilo

has special delicacies that showcases native cuisines that the city is well known for. In Iloilo, there is a

particular restaurant that offers Ilonggo delicacies, the ​Original ​Biscocho Haus.

Original Biscocho Haus: Home of Ilonggo Delicacies! To taste and experience the Ilonggo culture and

heritage that one gets to share with their loved ones, that is what Original Biscocho Haus is about. It is a

pasalubong shop and center that serves authentic Ilonggo products, which has a primary target market of
foreign and local tourists visiting the city who seek goods that are proudly Ilonggo. There are many

tourist visiting the city and it is difficult to look an appropriate ​pasalubong or what to bring back home to

one’s loved ones. Original Biscocho Haus wants others from other regions to experience Ilonggo native

delicacies. Today, Original Biscocho Haus is not only a ​pasalubong center, it also has a restaurant that

serves short orders and has a pension house in their main branch in Jaro, Iloilo City. The Original

Biscocho Haus preserves the culture and Ilonggo’s love for food.

c. Company objectives

1.

d. Company Structure

e. Products of the company (product lines and mixes)

As the famous pasalubong center in Iloilo, Biscocho Haus offers a wide-range of

products that Ilonggos and tourists visit and share to their families when they get home from

vacation. The following are the significant products offered by Biscocho Haus which made it

known to not only locally, but nationwide as well.

BISCOCHO

Biscocho is a type of twice-baked bread usually coated with butter and sugar. It is one of the

pioneer products Biscocho Haus offered when it started operating back then. Thus, became the

name of the business itself.

BUTTERSCOTCH

Butterscotch is a type of confectionery whose primary ingredients are brown sugar and

butter. It is one of Biscocho Haus’ product offerings that customers like the most.

BREAD
 Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water which is usually done by

baking. Biscocho Haus offers a variety of bread products which caters a wide market in Iloilo

City. This product is currently the highest profit contributor of the business.

CAKES

Cake is a form of sweet dessert that is typically baked and is a modification of bread

which is one of the products Biscocho Haus offers. It is the third most purchased among all

the product offerings of Biscocho Haus.

COOKIES AND TART

A cookie is a baked or cooked food that is small, flat and sweet which usually contains

flour, sugar and some type of oil or fat. It is Biscocho Haus’ second most purchased product

among its product line.

MUFFIN OR CUPCAKE

Muffin or cupcake is a small domed cake or quick bread made from batter or dough, or a

smaller version of a cake which is also offered in Biscocho Haus. It is also one of the best of

Biscocho Haus’ line of products.

f. Current market of the company

Original Biscocho Haus has been serving the locals and tourists visiting Iloilo City. Also,

they have patrons who keep buying its products for more than three decades now.

g. Significant milestones (e.g. awards received, major renovations/major investments to

improve the performance of the company, government support, etc.)

 During its initial stages, the National Cottage Industry Development Authority

recognized Original Biscocho Haus as a legitimate cottage industry in 1976.

Formally incorporated in January 2003 as the Original Biscocho Haus Corp., the

company is fully controlled by Guadarrama family members as shareholders.

2. Product Focus

a. Describe the product you want to focus on (materials used, designs, variety, packaging,

labeling, uses – get pictures

b. Describe its performance in the market place vis a vis competitors (domestic and export

markets)

c. Describe target market, brand/product positioning, and marketing mix in the domestic

market

The target market of Biscocho Haus is mainly focused on Ilonggos, as it is serving its own significant

delicacy. Positioned in the Philippine market as one of the famous pasalubong delicacies, it expanded its

domestic market from Iloilo, to Panay, Bacolod, and Cebu to continually establish its market position as

an established Philippine pasalubong delicacy.

Price:

Place:

Promotions:

Place:
People:

3. The industry (local) where the company/product belongs

a. Describe the industry of operation and especially highlight the unique quirks or issues that

make the market challenging

Contribution to the Tourism Industry

Tourists and Ilonggos wanting to take a glimpse and taste of the best of Iloilo do not need

to go far from this city. A one-stop pasalubong center like Original Biscocho Haus offers tourists

the convenience of having the best products of Iloilo.

b. Is the industry growing? Or is it in the decline?

The demand in biscocho has been continually growing as the tourist population increases in

Iloilo City. Due to this, Biscocho Haus has been expanding its stores in Panay provinces,

Bacolod, and Cebu.

c. Competitive situation

Biscocho Haus is the top of the mind brand when it comes to Biscocho in all of Panay. Aside

from Biscocho, they also offered a variety of Ilonggo products like piaya, barquillos, pinasugbo,

and etc. The brand then also became synonymous with Ilonggo delicacies in Panay.

4. Who is the protagonist?

 Jerry Guadarrama, son of the late owners Dr. Carlos L. Guadarrama and his wife Therese J.

Guadarrama. He is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in the University of

the Philippines Diliman, and went to the United States to take up his supplement lessons in Business

Administration.

Role in the organization and responsibilities

Current owner of the Biscocho Haus, oversees the operations of the business. Based from the

interview conducted with the owner itself by some members of the current marketing team conducted

last November 28, 2018, he stated that he functions all over the business. He takes pride on being

all-around the business' function since it is a family business and aims to continue the legacy of his

family. He mainly functions as the CEO/founder's successor, and administers the decision making role

in making the whole business function. However, he is not only boxed by the grounds of being the

head of the business. He also aids the job of his cousins and siblings who respectively functions in the

other organization roles such as branch manager, finance manager, and marketing head who focuses

on the logistics of its goods, raw materials, and product distribution to its outlets in the Philippines.

Career with the Company and his work experience

Since the start of his ownership and the growing demand of the company’s delicacies, Jerry has

created new product offerings which were first made in their family kitchen. He took charge of

continuing the growth of their business by accepting the role of being the head. His career and work

experience are the main avenues for practice of his educational background.

To whom the protagonist reports to and who reports to him/her

Jerry Guadarrama, the protagonist of this marketing story, himself, is the overseeing person of

what is happening in his business. Though he may be hands-on in knowing everything, he is

aided by his relatives who functions in the other organizational roles. Moreover, he is also being

provided assistance on the more keen details by their family friends who work in the kitchen,

and logistics.

Although their business is full of potential, its trait of being a community and a family business

entails them an informal, yet compact streamline of communication. As the protagonist and

head of the business, he re-channels down their problems and movement downward to his peers

and constituents in the organization to keep it's different business actions to be guided to what

they deem to accomplish.