Probinsyana brings regional favorites to Manila

Having given up their corporate jobs before the pandemic hit, friends Trina Ching-Ramos and Sofia Araneta decided to team up and share the food they both love to everyone else. They started with their family’s favorites, items they have loved over the years. Then those were eventually followed by more provincial finds that they themselves would enjoy receiving and indulging in. 

This was how Probinsyana, a small business that aims to bring specialties from different regions to Manila, started. It was born in September 2020.

“It’s our first time to set up a business of our own and we had to learn everything from sourcing, purchasing, logistics, accounting, customer handling,” says Sofia. “Whenever there was a problem or an issue in any of these, we used it as an opportunity to improve the system that we created, especially if it's feedback from a customer.”

Apart from learning the ropes of a start-up, they also made it a point to study the products their brand carries. For instance, there would be seasons for freshwater shrimps, or there would be months when it’s difficult to get coconut. Sofia shares, “One funny problem we encountered was we couldn’t serve keso because the carabaos were pregnant! We chose to lose sales and waited until they gave birth, rather than sacrificing quality by serving other keso.” 

Their bestsellers include Ginataang Hipon and Kesong Puti, both from Lumban, Laguna. These two were staples in Trina’s mom’s household, often served when entertaining balikbayan guests. They were also part of Probinsyana’s initial offerings.” We started with Laguna because Trina went back to the province during the pandemic. And eventually, we expanded to other provinces that we frequent or are accessible to where we are based,” says Sofia. 

Another that they sell a lot of is the Suman sa Lihiya and Tsokolate Eh, which were gifts they would receive during the holidays. They found a way to make them available all year round.

These four items as well as most of their products are non-branded, and so they had to build a relationship and gain the trust of the makers of these items, for them to be able to carry them. For branded products such as Ted’s Kitchen’s Bibingka Cheesecake, they simply explained their concept and those in sync with their mission of making provincial specialties more readily available were more than game to be on board.

The two friends turned business partners are hoping that Probinsyana won’t just be a pandemic business and that it will continue even when everything’s back to normal. “We want to have something from all the different provinces in the Philippines. Food will always be a priority but we also like to add more to our line of handcrafted products. And more importantly, products that help support communities,” says Sofia. 

This holiday season, included in their gift sets are mini parols handcrafted by the women community of Barangay Balete in Tarlac.