INGRAM LIM, CEO of Loring’s Home Baked Goods, is passionately growing a business by selling goodies made from his Lola Loring’s recipe specifically Orange Crisps. /LORING’S HOME BAKED GOODS FB PHOTO
As a kid, Ingram Lim and his cousins grew up loving the treats that their Lola Loring would bake for them during family gatherings.
Her pastries were unique and something they do not see being made or sold by other people in Cebu.
Their favorite is her orange crisps — small and thin cookies that are sweet with a tinge of zesty flavor coming from the oranges.
When they got older, Lim said he and other relatives would joke about starting a business with their Lola Loring and her signature treats but it never pushed through. Until last year.
“When she passed away last year, we decided to carry on her legacy by pursuing our plans and sharing these delectable treats that we have enjoyed since we were children,” he told Cebu Daily News.
Now 31 years old, Lim is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Loring’s Home Baked Goods — the product of their plans.
They only currently have one product — Loring’s Orange Crisps. But Lim said they are already planning on sharing other recipes of their Lola Loring, from her recipe book, and develop them into products they can also sell in the coming months.
“The Orange Crisps is something we want to be known for: as a brand, as a lasting legacy, and as something that is proudly made in Cebu,” he said.
A 150-gram box of Orange Crisps costs P85.
The business officially started in November 2017.
Orders came from family and friends until it spread around through word of mouth and more people started ordering.
And just last July 6, they opened a small stall at the third level of Ayala Center Cebu. Next month, they are also on track to open another stall in SM City Cebu.
Their product is also available in some pasalubong centers and in Gaisano Country Mall along Gov. Cuenco Ave. in Cebu City.
They also continue to accept orders online through their Facebook page.
Lim said they started with a capital of P100,000 which they used to buy kitchen equipment, packaging, raw materials and ingredients for their Orange Crisps.
Apart from managing Loring’s Home Baked Goods, Lim is also managing two other businesses — Etchworks which deals with making awards, plaques, and custom signs; and Boothcamp, a food park near the University of San Carlos-Main Campus.
“This is a passion project, more of a passion than it is a business, and it’s actually our first foray into the food industry. I must say it hasn’t been easy. Unlike with my other business, the food industry has so many different aspects that are totally new to us which we try to learn from and to perfect,” he said.
On the box of the product are the words “baked lovingly from a tiny kitchen in Cebu City.” Their kitchen is located at Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City.
Their ingredients are sourced locally.
As for the oranges, they have a supplier from a local market who also imports the oranges from wholesalers abroad.
As a businessman, Lim had to veer away from the usual purpose of making money with Loring’s Home Baked Goods.
“I can’t speak for the others but our goal is not to make as much money as possible but rather to grow our brand as our grandmother’s legacy and live up to something that Cebu can be proud to call it’s own,” he said.