The Story Behind Muhlach Ensaymada and Their 30-Year Legacy
There's more to the brand than just a famous name.
(SPOT.ph) When one hears the name Muhlach, it’s easy to conjure images of a showbiz family filled with many players, each ruling over their own slice of the Philippine screens. But aside from being a family with a strong presence in entertainment, the surname Muhlach has also become synonymous with something else—something that has been growing slowly and steadily on the sidelines without the pomp and glitz of stardom but equally deserving of recognition: Muhlach Ensaymada.
You might’ve seen brightly lit kiosks emblazoned with a cheese-melt-inspired logo or, if you're just noticing it now, a big cursive 'M' in airports or bus terminals teeming with bread, ensaymada, and other pasalubong fare.
For 30 years, and after going through a bunch of changes, Muhlach Ensaymada has been one of the go-to brands for Filipinos seeking to bring a piece of the Metro to their homes. But what exactly is the story behind the brand that turned your usual merienda staple into pasalubong treasure? Here’s what we found out.
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How Muhlach Bakery started
“It has always been about family,” says Angela Muhlach-Hortaleza, Chief Operating Officer of Muhlach Bakery. In an interview with SPOT.ph, Muhlach-Hortaleza detailed how their ensaymada business came from a father’s desire to create stability and roots for their family.
In 1993, the Muhlach patriarch, Alexander Muhlach, turned a family ensaymada recipe into gold amidst anxieties about an ever-fickle showbiz industry. Not wanting to rest on the laurels of their famous surname and seeking a safety net for his family, he invested heavily into developing an old family recipe into something they could scale up and sell to the masses. Laying the foundation for what will be their long-term family business, he turned an old property he bought for his son, Niño, along Cubao’s N. Domingo Street into their commissary and poof, Supermelt was born.
In the late ‘90s, Supermelt would get a name change, rebranding into Megamelt Bakery, donning the cheese-melt-inspired logo and red and blue color combination we know today. Aside from the name change, everything was pretty much the same. You know what they say: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Every day, hundreds to thousands of cheesy buns would roll out from the Cubao commissary, each made my hand. Workers from all over would mix, roll, and bake these soft, golden puffs from scratch following the good ol’ Muhlach family recipe. Call ensaymada old school, untrendy, or your tita’s favorite snack, but it kept the business going for over 20 years. Muhlach’s simple, homemade classic cheese ensaymada was the brand’s champion product through the tumultuous ‘90s, the crazy 2000s, and yes, even through the COVID-19 pandemic.
From ensaymada to bakery: what’s next for the Muhlach brand
For years, the humble cheese ensaymada was the way, the light, and the core of the family business, with Megamelt—now Muhlach Ensaymada (yes, another name change)—seeing sales of over 3,000 to 6,000 boxes of baked goods per day. From its simple grab-and-go concept in the Metro, the brand has grown to include resellers from all over the country and abroad. Today, the Muhlach brand is still in your favorite malls, terminals, and neighborhoods. It has grown from a steady 20 or so kiosks to a whopping 60 stores—including new full-service cafés— in under five years.
You may think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks but that doesn’t seem to be the case for the brand. In an effort to appeal to a wider, younger audience, i.e., to stay relevant in the ever-competitive F&B space, Muhlach Ensaymada has moved to include more variety in its offerings. Gone are the days of getting just a plain cheese ensaymada to go. Today, a quick peep at their displays will leave you in awe of the sheer number of different variants they have. The base is still the same as the OG recipe, just with added flair—think ube, red bean, chocolate, or matcha-filled ensaymadas, fruit-flavored baked treats, croissants, and other pastries. They even have limited-edition flavors to celebrate their three decades in the business.
These new flavors and product lines are just the tip of the iceberg. A quick visit to their OG commissary in Cubao will surprise you. Don’t think you’ll find just some boring ol’ shop with all their products on display. Here, where it all began, you’ll find the brand's next steps.
The Muhlach Bakery: A full-service café for everyone
Muhlach Ensaymada has evolved once more into the Muhlach Bakery, featuring more than just your usual pasalubong fare but now a full-service sit-down cafe complete with trendy egg drop sandwiches (seriously, you have to try these) and coffee-based drinks, all under P150.
A quick glance around the 50-seater space tells the story of a brand ready to change with the times and invite new people into the fold. The space is IG-friendly, homey, and very mom-and-pop—just what you would expect from a brand with family at the center. Here, the young and old Cubao natives and customers from far away are welcome to sit, chill, and have their merienda in peace.
It’s cozy enough to welcome grandparents, chic enough for young Gen Z and millennial diners, and homey enough for titas looking for a place to hang.
Keep Muhlach Bakery on your radars. It has a lot of promise, and it’s only going to get better. They’re already looking into adding more items to their menu, including more baked treats and hot meals like pasta and rice dishes. And if the long trip to Cubao, i.e., the official center of the Metro, is the only thing stopping you from looking at this brand with fresh eyes, then you’re in for a treat. “We will end 2024 with five cafés,” says Muhlach-Hortaleza, without a shred of doubt in her voice.
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