Genesis Hot Pandesal: How A Marikina Panaderia Found Success

(SPOT.ph) Soft, chewy, slightly sweet, and fresh out of the oven is how most Filipinos like their pandesal. Once they found the panaderia that delivers on these requirements, expect them to patiently wait in line outside that store every morning, and expect the business to be a neighborhood buzzword.  
 
This was basically Genesis Hot Pandesal’s ticket to success. They opened their first branch in Parang, Marikina in 2011. Quite instantly, their pandesal hit the spot and word got around—which sealed their popularity within and beyond Parang. These days, their loyal customers include residents from neighboring barangays like Tumana and Loyola Heights. Even folks from Quezon City and Makati and Alabang drive all the way to Marikina to buy several supots, or send their driver.  

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Pinipilahan at dinadayo. If those two words are the measures of a business’ success, then Genesis Hot Pandesal is a success story.  
 
Their pandesal is a favorite of kids—who pop them into their little mouths like a favorite snack. An SUV or two waiting outside a Genesis outlet is not a strange sight in Marikina streets. On any given day, one can see long lines of people at their branches. “May nagpapa-Grab, may naka kotse, may nakapila sa labas ng stores. Nagke-cater kami sa lahat ng classes,” says founder Helino Tiamzon, Jr. And they’ve also had orders from balikbayans who love the pandesal so much they want to share the bread to family and friends abroad—Canada, Hawaii, Dubai—who are missing the taste of home.  

The genesis of Genesis Hot Pandesal

Tiamzon built Genesis Hot Pandesal from the ground up with the help of his then girlfriend, and now wife, Ciarra. Using his and her savings from working as medical representatives based in the province, he was able to put up the first Genesis branch. “Nag-resign ako kasi gusto ko mag tayo ng negosyo at pandesal yung lumalabas (na magandang business noon),” says Tiamzon who grew up in Parang. “Lahat ng ipon ko pinadala ko sa Manila. Sinabi ko sa (family ko) ‘Ihanap niyo ako ng puwesto at tao para makapag umpisa.'” With a budget of a little over P100,000, the med rep managed to find a spot in Marikina with its own baking space, and hired a baker to jumpstart the business. 

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Today, the couple runs a total of seven branches within Marikina that are open 24/7. Apart from their initial branch, they are also located at Parang-NGI cor. Magsaysay St., Champaca St. cor. Apitong St. in Marikina Heights, Lilac St. in Hacienda Heights, General Ordoñez St., Romans St. Goodrich, and Col. Divino St., Concepcion Uno. 

Is there a secret ingredient to Genesis Hot Pandesal?  

It took months before Helino and his first baker found the right mix for the pandesal. “Ilang months din na madaming tapon, kasi nag e-experiment ako.” Though not a schooled baker, Tiamzon was sure of the taste he was aiming for—a taste from his childhood, when pandesals were soft, chewy, hot, buttery. In short, tasty enough to be eaten on their own. “Kasi noon pa mahilig ako sa tinapay at (nung bata pa ako) lagi akong inuutusan ng erpats kong bumili ng pandesal,” he adds.

Tiamzon would instruct his baker to adjust the ingredients and proportion until they found the perfect mix for the pandesal. “Eventually nakuha namin yung timpla na gusto ko. Sabi ko sa baker ko, once na nagustuhan mo yung produkto, masarap i-share sa tao kasi if na-enjoy mo, ma e-enjoy din nila.” 

His words are proven true today by the daily sight of customers lining up outside his stores' signature red and yellow frontage. At PhP3.00 a piece, a Genesis pandesal is affordable, filling and delicious. What else can one ask for? On the Facebook page of Inside Marikina, commenters are generous with their compliments: "Masarap." "Laging bagong luto." "Quality talaga." 
 
A typical pandesal is made from flour, oil, yeast, salt, and sugar – does Tiamzon include a secret ingredient to this simple recipe that makes people line up for his version of the Pinoy breakfast bread? Is there more sugar? Does he add butter? Tiamzon only laughs when pressed to reveal the secret, and says there’s no butter in their mix. Could it be the Wellington brand of flour he uses? He orders 200 bags of that per week to produce an average of 8,000 pieces of pandesal each day. They also don’t run a commissary so every piece of bread is baked on the outlet where you buy it—which means everyone gets their pandesal fresh from the oven.  

“Pag tinatanong kami ‘Ano ba secret?’ ang sagot namin ‘pagmamahal’,” offers Tiamzon. “Sabi nga namin, if you love what you do and mag-cook-off tayo using the same ingredients, lalabas pa rin na mas masarap ang luto ko.”  

Ciarra elaborates on this, saying that it all boils down to taking good care of their staff. “Sabi nila yung pandesal namin is ‘crunchy outside, chewy inside’ pero feeling ko it’s the quality of work we put in and how we treat our people.” 

They currently have a staff of 50 and since most are originally from provinces, the Tiamzons provides them a staff house in Parang. The workers are brought to and from work by a tricycle and bus service while others have been provided with bicycles. The staff are given ample holiday breaks. Even if pandesal is a year-round mainstay on breakfast tables, Genesis branches are closed during Christmas, New Year, and Holy Week to allow the staff to spend holidays with their loved ones.   

Genuine Marikenyo

Coming from two generations of Marikina sapateros on his father’s side—how Marikenyo can you get?—hard work and entrepreneurship run in Tiamzon’s blood. His family was in the shoemaking business until he was in high school. He recalls having the same pair of school shoes from elementary to high school because the leather, he says, was of high quality. “Pinapalitan lang ng lolo ko yung swelas.” Eventually, the family had to close their operations when cheaper China-made shoes invaded the Philippine market.  
 
Having grown up during the time his hometown shoe industry was thriving, Tiamzon remembers a happy, laidback childhood. But the Marikina of Tiamzon’s youth is no longer the Marikina of today. “Kung dati shoe capital, ngayon food capital na,” he says, referring to the numerous restaurants and eateries that have sprouted in the city in the past decade or so. But it’s all good, as Tiamzon has found his mettle not just in the food business but right in the very same hometown where both his father and grandfather have made their mark and contributed to the good reputation of the city. He wants to leave the same mark through Genesis. “Ang vision namin ni Misis para sa business is sabihin ng mga tao na ‘Ah yang pandesal na yan, sa Marikina galing ‘yan. Dinadayo yan.'"