People thought Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro was crazy for going against big companies in the toothpaste industry. Many years later, Hapee toothpaste remains as a major competitor against global brands in the Philippines.
Cecilio Kwok Pedro, of Chinese descent, was born on 1953 in the Philippines. Even when he was young, Pedro already has a knack for business, selling pens to his schoolmates. Dr. Pedro’s story is not the rags-to-riches type, but his success is nevertheless admirable.
He graduated from Ateneo de Manila with a degree in Business Management. It was around 1975 when Cecilio to put up his own business. He borrowed P20,000 from his father and founded Aluminum Containers, Inc., supplying collapsible aluminum toothpaste tubes to Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, and Philippine Refining Company. But due to environmental concerns, the companies decided to use plastic-laminated toothpaste tubes instead in 1985. Cecilio’s company took a huge blow, prompting him to close his business in the same year.
Dr. Cecilio did not allow this problem to put him down. In 1985, he decided to start again and established Lamoiyan Corporation. Lamoiyan was the Cantonese name of her grandmother, whom he loved and look up to. It was her that introduced their family to Christianity.
The initial plan was to use the machines from his defunct company for epoxy but he thought that the market was too small. Since he used to be a supplier for a toothpaste company, this is where he focused the business instead, much to the disapproval of many. He developed his own brand of toothpaste, Hapee. Contending against well-known, international brands is a tough one, so Dr. Pedro realized that the only way that his toothpaste can get noticed is to sell them at a lower price, 50% less that of Colgate and Close up. The company also developed different fruity flavors of Hapee which enticed the children. They also manufactured the toothpaste in smaller packs and sachets; hence, catering to different markets.
It was they took Lea Salonga as their first celebrity endorser to further improve brand awareness. Hapee was getting 15% of the market already and getting a famous endorser increased it. In later years they also introduced other variety of products like dishwashing pastes and fabric detergents.
Not only is Lamoiyan Corporation known for creating a Filipino brand of toothpaste, but also for its commitment to supporting the deaf community. The company employed hearing-impaired people, and required employees to learn how to communicate with the deaf. And since he is a devout Christian like her grandmother, Dr. Cecilio Diokno also founded and chaired the Deaf Evangelistic Alliance Foundation (DEAF) which gave scholarship to the deaf community and introduced them to Christianity, standing by the company’s motto, “To make a difference for the glory of God.”
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