A sweet ending from a spicy beginning:

DALIKAN’S HOUSE OF SAUCES

A young brave soul at the age of 21, Harry D. Osboken put up his first-ever physical store in the last quarter of 2017, just after he graduated from college and was still building up his career in the food industry sector. 

Working on a multitude of ideas

Starting a business at a young age, Osboken faced numerous challenges in terms of business technicalities and outsourcing of capital. Being a young entrepreneur, he failed four times. He first put up PanLok Sweets in 2018; but it was not sustained due to his lack of experience. In the same year, he opened the Dalikan Food Terminal, a Cordilleran-inspired restaurant. But due to his insufficient knowledge of the government’s business requirements, processes, support system, and capital, it also halted its operations.

During the first quarter of 2020, with high hopes, Osboken opened the Dalikan Restaurant. Unfortunately, after a few weeks of operations, COVID-19 came and negatively impacted the world and the economy. Osboken was left unprepared for such unforeseen events and failed once more. In June 2021, he reopened the Dalikan Food Terminal. But due to lack of manpower and other aspects of the business, he had to also close his fourth business.

Dalikan’s House of Chili Sauces

When Osboken opened the Dalikan Restaurant, chili was something that cannot be removed from a Cordilleran meal. The cost of chili is not that stable—while it goes for as low as Php 25 per kilo, it somehow skyrocketed to Php 2,000 per kilo come 2019.

He thought of ways to convert the chili problem to an opportunity. He was reminded that like Cordillerans, people from Thailand, Singapore, and other Asian countries also love chili. So, he started to make chili sauces that resembled the sauces he made when he was still working in Thailand.

Osboken started the Baak sauce, an oil-based chili paste with 18 herbs and spices combined. He also innovated and created a chili sauce that does not need anything to add on and can be used directly to your dishes—an all-in-one dressing that anyone can just bring anywhere: Nalasang, the green chili vinaigrette for the ladies who prefer less spicy dressing; Balasang for the guys who want spicier sauces; Balasitang, the yellow habanero for those who want their sauce to have that extra kick; and Baro, the Carolina Reaper for the daring souls who like super-hot sauces.

Joining the YFCF

Operating a business during the pandemic is a real test of patience, perseverance, and a lot of courage—things that one needs to combat all financial, physical, emotional, mental, and social challenges that a business may face. The Young Farmers Challenge Fund (YFCF) Competition gave him the chance to revive his energy and courage to work on his dream business and even boosted his confidence to continue the career he started. Blessedly, he was chosen to represent the Cordillera Administrative Region and was even among the six agripreneurs who won the National Level Competition. He received a total grant of Php 500,000.

With the Php 50,000.00 grant from the Provincial Level Competition, he was able to purchase raw materials, processing equipment, and packaging and labeling materials. On his first cycle of operations using the grant, he was able to rake in a net income of more than Php 170, 000.

Furthermore, the Regional Level grant amounting to Php 150,000 was used to purchase a commercial blender and additional tools for bigger batches of production. Meanwhile, the National Level grant of Php 300,000 will be used for expansion as he plans to go for mass production.

The Dalikan’s House of Sauces’ goal is to be able to touch lives not only in the agriculture sector but also the involved stakeholders of the Dalikan Foods Company—the farmers, distributors, logistics, and manpower.

Along the way, he was able to build connections and business collaborations with his fellow yaggies through the YFCF. ###