Motherhood comes with a wealth of skills such as multitasking, creativity, operating on a budget, and problem-solving — all of which make for a good foundation in building your own empire.
Chay Periquet – Manchua is one of the many women who dreamt of starting her own business that’s supportive of motherhood. “I was with the corporate world for the longest time and, when I became a mom, I longed for a business that would allow more time with my child. I didn’t want to miss out on anything, considering it took us 5 years before we were blessed with a baby.”
Chay’s fascination with her baby’s teething toys turned into a business opportunity and paved the way for her to meet suppliers of other baby products and essentials. She saw the buying potentials for these products, as majority were still not available in Davao. She ventured into online selling in December 2017, and the response was overwhelming. “The demand and market grew by the day. This prompted me to open a physical store — a one-stop shop for all things baby. We wanted to make shopping more convenient and easy for our customers.”
Fruits & Tree opened its doors in September 2018, housing over 54 brands of parenting essentials.
“Our leading product is the Medela breast pump, a globally trusted brand. Medela actually has range of breast pumps that are ideal for any budget. The manual pump alone is priced at PHP2,000 and a lot who tried it are so happy with the results. We do provide and encourage free trials of our breast pumps and accessories to help clients decide what’s right for them. We have a dedicated customer service representative who answer after sales inquiries too.”
“Other than the breast pumps and the Mega Malunggay lactation supplement, our best-selling product is the Matchstick Monkey Teether, which is a revolutionary teether, toy and gum massager in one. The Swimtrainer floater is also a favorite. It is the safest swimming tool that aids in introducing babies to water. It has a large support base to ensure safety and proper floatation. Another hit among parents is the Whole + Natural cook book, featuring easy-to-do baby food recipes, ranging from purees, viands, snacks, condiments, soups and desserts.”
Chay ensures the store’s inventory is always fresh and up to date. “We regularly conduct research and surveys on products that are not only best for baby, but also make every parent’s life a breeze.”
“Fruits & Tree is not only a store. I’d like to think of it as every family’s partner in parenting. We want to foster a community of empowered parents,” Chay adds. “It’s also a venue for support classes through various collaborations with experts and experienced speakers, to help parents, moms and even ‘yayas’ cope through different phases in child-rearing. It is also our mission to work with hospitals and government units in promoting milk sharing and breastfeeding.”
Visit Fruits & Tree located at Door 1, L&R Building, Tulip Drive, Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City. For inquiries and more information, contact 0919.999.1301 or fruitsandtreeph@gmail.com. You can also follow Fruits & Tree on Facebook or @fruitsandtreeph on Instagram.
