Going Strong: Tinapayan Festival Celebrates 40 Years in the Business

Tinapayan Festival not only celebrates World Bread Day but also 40 years of helping the local baking industry flourish and grow through its bread and pastries.

From picturesque beaches to an extensive array of dishes, the country has a lot to offer on a global scale. In fact, the food alone has captured the attention of an international audience, with dishes like lumpia and tortang talong making it to the top ranks of prestigious travel guides like TasteAtlas.

With that in mind, many local businesses have been determined to put the Philippines on the global map. Local bakery Tinapayan Festival, for example, aims to do so through its diverse selection of soft and sweet baked products—from bread to cakes, and pastries.

And this has been going on for over 40 years, since its establishment in Manila.

*Tinapayan Festival is still going strong with its wide selection of bread and pastries—tailor-fit for the local market.*

Forty Years in the Business

Aside from celebrating World Bread Day, Tinapayan Festival also celebrates four decades of commitment to the Filipino community that it proudly serves. Taking the opportunity not just to make its mark internationally, the bakeshop also intends to revisit its roots in its founder’s hometown at Cuenca, Batangas.

“40 years is no easy feat and we are very grateful to all of our partners, suppliers, and loyal customers for always being at our sides through all these years,” shares Lucito ‘Chito’ Chavez, Founder of Tinapayan Festival. “We have seen so many things change in the local bakery industry—from the price increase of raw materials to the lack of resources and tools.”

Going on to stress the brand’s ethos, he adds that, “Our goal as a responsible business and entity is to continue committing to work closely with both the public and private sectors to uplift the local bakery industry in the country.”

In celebration of World Bread Day on October 16th, Tinapayan Festival makes a conscious effort to talk about bread, work with many bakers, and put priority on the future of the local community bakery industry.

*Tinapayan Festival is committed to putting in the time, effort, and resources to help the local baking industry flourish and grow.*

Of Challenges Faced and Surviving the Pandemic

Like many businesses, Tinapayan Festival has faced its share of ups and downs in order to make it to where they are now. During the pre-pandemic days, the bakeshop had many branches to show for, but tough times called for some downsizing.

Thus, Tinapayan Festival went back to just one branch this 2021—its main store, which has stood the test of time all these years. “It was not an easy journey for us. We had to take care of our employees—most especially when the pandemic hit,” recalls Chavez.

*From having several branches to just one, Tinapayan Festival goes back to its roots in Manila.*

With challenges came learning lessons and light at the end of the tunnel. “But we realized we needed to continue serving our community during one of the toughest times in all our 40 years—even introducing other products that many of our customers have requested and grown to love,” he continues. “It has helped us a lot to be working with longtime partners and suppliers to get through the difficult days.”

Surviving and thriving all these years, however, could not have happened without the support and trust of its regular customers and trusted suppliers like Ben Garcia from Unicomm Ingredients Philippines, Inc. A supplier that Tinapayan Festival has worked with since 1984, it has been a staunch supplier of quality materials and ingredients, including ube, which is used for the bakeshop’s Ube Loaf.

Innovation is another secret to the company’s success. “Ang maganda sa Tinapayan Festival is that they have one recipe, but they were able to come up with different variations that suit the local taste,” Garcia says.

*Before ube trended on a worldwide scale, Tinapayan Festival was already using it in so many innovative ways.*

Supporting the Local Economy

“A business flourishes if it supports the community it is a part of,” shares Chavez. As someone who has always lobbied for the inclusion and use of local produce, he makes sure to integrate these crops into Tinapayan Festival’s repertoire of baked goods. That way, he too can support farmers in their livelihood, as well as the local economy.

In fact, even as early as 1985, Tinapayan Festival has been at the forefront of promoting and pushing for the use of local agricultural products to make baked products both delicious and cost-efficient with a healthier lifestyle as its end goal.

*The humble bread may be what they’re known for, but Tinapayan Festival boasts over 200 product offerings.*

What’s more, Tinapayan Festival Head of Production and Research, Luis Chavez has gunned for the innovation of almost 200 of its products. “We know how difficult and expensive it is to keep bakeries up and running right now,” the younger Chavez shares. “One way to ensure that the bakeries survive is by being smart about raw ingredients.”

“My father has always taught us to think of all possible solutions, and the one that has really stood the test of time is the use of agricultural crops in what we do. From our local bread options to our cakes, we utilize everything that we can to serve our customers,” he adds.

*Beyond bread, Tinapayan Festival diversified its offerings to include desserts like Napoleones.*

Exciting Plans in Store

For businesses like Tinapayan Festival, which have already established a following, there is nowhere else to go but up. While the older Chavez does not disclose the many plans that he has in store for the brand, he does reveal that expansion plans are in motion, as well as the introduction of new brands under their belt.

“In the next four to five years, Tinapayan Festival will be launching new brands that focus on different offerings—[from] premium baked products [to] cafes, pandesal shops, and so much more,” he ends.