For Mariano Manas, founder of Henlin, success didn’t come with a splashy launch or investor backing. It started with a supermarket stall—and a leap of faith.
When SM opened its first supermarket in Makati, Manas was still working full-time as a reinsurance executive. But the opportunity to secure a small, hole-in-the-wall space was too good to ignore. “Noon, lakas loob lang,” he said. “Kumuha ako ng parang hole in a wall sa supermarket.”
At the time, he was still buying siopao and other products from a friend’s restaurant in Ongpin and transporting them himself. But the visibility and foot traffic at SM changed everything.
“You know, the demand was so much that we had to study how to make our own,” Manas recalled. What started as a side hustle selling siopao from someone else’s kitchen quickly turned into something bigger—something they had to own and scale.
The pivotal moment came when SM North EDSA opened. Manas didn’t hesitate—he opened another Henlin stall. Sales surged. “I can tell you with pride that we grew up with SM,” he said.
That partnership became a defining move. Henlin wasn’t just a food brand—it was now a mall fixture. The exposure from SM’s growing footprint allowed Henlin to reach more Filipinos, especially in high-traffic retail environments where convenience and consistency mattered.
But behind the scenes, it was still a story of relentless hustle. Manas and his wife juggled full-time jobs while growing the business. They attended food seminars on weekends. They managed logistics using friends, office messengers, and vendors. Every move was a step forward—intentional, strategic, and full of grit.
Key takeaway: Sometimes, the right location is all you need to go from obscurity to mainstream success. For Henlin, that location was SM.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
