COVID-19 paved way for a new normal. Streets quiet, malls closed, with people afraid of leaving their homes prompting the boom in online shopping. The indoors provided solace and its interface is digital.
This was the formula that kickstarted Rose and Chari’s ventures. “The pandemic was the great equalizer. It gave new opportunities to those whose eyes are constantly seeking,” said the company’s leading Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rose Tolentino. While many slowed down, the duo went the opposite direction and launched not just one but multiple brands from personal and men’s care to food.
“2020 was the year. We felt the consumerist landscape was changing so to adapt was imperative for survival,” said Rose. “We were fueled to see the opportunity lying ahead so we really did our best, and have been continuing to do so. We felt it would be an injustice to God not to do well. That was really our motivation and push,” said Chari.
OMO! White
OMO! White, the company’s first successful brand scaled when it closed a partnership with the country’s biggest household cosmetic company, Ever Bilena Cosmetics Inc (EBCI). What once was a Korean-inspired product line is now manufactured in Korea. “The best of korean technology with the Filipino skin in mind,” Creative Chief Officer (CCO) Chari Trinidad-Mendoza, says. OMO! White is now in nearly 2,000 doors nationwide in all leading beauty & department stores.
Building a team that runs 100% online, the duo found the system worked to the advantage of their millennial team. No longer bound by the regular ‘8-5’ office demands meant clockwork capacity for their members’ optimum hours. “You know creativity can spring at 3 A.M. I guess you can call it ‘structured flow,’ says Rose.
Oh Crop! Is an adlai brand to serve the ballooning health-conscious consumer market. It is as an alternative to the Filipinos staple white rice, packed with nutrients, low in glycemic-index (GI) and high in fiber. Partnering with celebrity restaurateur Marvin Agustin, the company has hectares of personally-owned and contracted land whilst pioneering the first adlai-financing system with UBX and multiple LGUs to further encourage sustainable livelihood for their partner farmers. The brand is currently available at The Marketplace under the Robinsons Retail Group.
Rosie Posie
Halal-certified with a core philosophy of ‘beauty is kindness,’ Rosie Posie is a 4-step skincare kit made specifically for the Filipino women in Visayas and Mindanao. it is a brand promoting gentle and natural ingredients that aims to take care of you, while you take care of the Earth. The brand is available in Rose Pharmacy in Cebu, Iloilo and Bacolod.
Alike
Aside from their products in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category, the ladies own the media company Alike Media. Similar to OMO! White, Alike was founded before the pandemic but its pivotal year was in 2020. An originally digital media company, expanded into an omni-channel that now has both digital and print. They were ranked as part of the top 10 digital media companies in the country.
Best friends since they were 10 the two are now in their 30s. Two decades of friendship have evolved and formed them, but never separated. The pandemic taught them simplicity, grit, but above all - what truly is ‘essential.’
Respect. Trust. Dreams. Love.
