At a recent design meeting of the CDPEAP (Christmas Décor Producers and Exporters Association of the Philippines), Mina Partible of Mina de Oro Toys and Novelties had the merriest countenance among all of the members. She greeted her colleagues by saying that she had run out of raw materials for an order she had recently filled, prompting them to kid her about how well her business was doing. She just laughed along with them, belying the great effort required of her to keep her Christmas décor manufacturing enterprise afloat in hard times.

Partible actually got started in the handicraft business by supplying the local and export market with stuffed toy animals in plush (a thick fabric). One day, however, she saw an ad for a seminar on making Christmas décor and, simply out of curiosity, decided to attend it.

She recalls: “I didn’t have a design or product in mind at that time, but someone approached me and asked me if I could execute a design using my materials for plush toys. They told me that if I could do that, they would include me in their trade fair. Eh, magaling akong manggaya [I’m very adept at copying] so I was able to do it for them. That was sometime in 1988.”

Later, however, she decided to shift to Christmas décor-making instead: “There were already too many competitors for the plush animals at the time, and the cost of manufacturing was getting high, so I decided to start shifting my business to holiday items. I started by distributing them to the branches of National Book Store and later to department stores like Shoemart, Gaisano, Liberty, and Rustan’s.”

In the meantime, her membership in the CDPEAP enabled her to hone her design skills to a point that she could do subcontracted work. “Eventually, the CDPEAP told me that I was ready to venture into exports because I already knew the ins and outs of the business.”

Her first clients were Japanese, and they particularly liked her Christmas trees that were made of abaca and other natural materials. “Because of the large orders I was getting, my husband Ted, who is an engineer, mechanized my operations for a smoother workflow,” she says. “Because of this, I was able to supply the local and international market without much difficulty. In fact, kung saan-saan din ako umabot to get subcontractors [I went to so many places to get enough subcontractors for the orders I was getting]!”

She continues to produce Christmas trees. “Right now, I am the only one producing this product for export, and for variety, I am experimenting with other materials,” she says.

But Partible admits that like so many other exporters, her company is hard-hit by the current economic crisis. “As early as 2004, my contacts were already telling me, ‘We will not be buying from the Philippines anymore’,” she says.

“They were shifting to Chinese products, which are admittedly much cheaper. And then I saw that my items at trade fairs were being copied by them. Since their copycat products are not made from natural materials, however, I still retain my competitive advantage over them.”

Under these circumstances, Partible has decided to concentrate on the local market. She explains this change in marketing approach: “I still maintain my international buyers, but they aren’t as many as before. I don’t want to lose my people, so I really work hard to get local orders this time.”

Starter tips

Mina Partible of Mina de Oro Toys says she follows these three approaches in her Christmas décor business:

Be flexible. “Even though strictly speaking, we do Christmas décor the whole year round, I try to
accommodate buyers’ requests to do their gift-item requirements as well.”

Think on your feet. “One thing that buyers like about doing business with me is that I reply to them right away. If they call me or e-mail me in the morning to ask if I can fill an order, I answer them by the afternoon of the same day particularly if the raw materials are available anyway. Sa negosyo, dapat maagap ka [In business, you need to be prompt]. If a supplier asks you for a sample in two or three days, don’t give it to them after a week or a month.”

Keep your connections. “Makulit ako sa buyers [I’m very persistent with buyers]! Sometimes, I e-mail them even if they don’t have orders with us. This is just so they can keep me in mind when they do have requirements.”

CONTACT DETAILS:
MINA DE ORO TOYS AND NOVELTIES
Mina Partible
306 San Leonardo St.,
San Antonio Valley 1, Parañaque City
Telephone: (02) 825-0541
E-mail: mdo_01@yahoo.com