Most people think starting a food business means quitting your job and going all-in. Mariano Manas, the founder of Henlin, proved there’s another way—one that demands hustle, discipline, and quiet consistency.
Before Henlin became a household name for siopao and siomai, Manas was working full-time in the insurance industry. More specifically, in reinsurance—a technical and demanding field where he had already built a respected career. But a small opportunity came his way, and he took it without disrupting his day job.
“You know, at that time, I was an executive of an insurance company,” Manas shared. “We never let yung sideline namin to interfere with or disrupt our work.”
That “sideline” was a tiny food stall in BF Homes. A friend had offered him a small space, and Manas—encouraged by his Chinoy friends in the restaurant business—decided to give it a shot. He began by sourcing ready-made siopao and siomai from a friend’s restaurant in Ongpin and transporting them himself.
“It was not an easy job,” he admitted. “Ang layo from BF to Ongpin.” His wife was working at a bank, and to manage logistics, they even hired her office messenger part-time to help with deliveries.
Weekends weren’t for rest either. Manas enrolled in food preparation seminars—under his wife’s name. “I would attend seminars on Saturdays about siopao making. I would register my wife’s name pero I would be the one attending,” he recalled.
With limited time, he had to be creative. “Early in the morning, I would drop by the supermarket and ask a cigarette vendor to deliver my goods to the outlet,” he said.
Through patience, planning, and relentless grit, Manas built what would eventually become Henlin—without ever compromising the quality of his work or relationships in his primary career.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
