[PH] Starting a chilli garlic sauce business during a pandemic

Posted by

When Mikaela (@mikaeladio) tried her brother Angelo’s homemade chilli garlic sauce, she knew it was delicious enough to start a small home-based business. “We were chatting over a meal as usual, and talked about what we can do during this pandemic. I believe that every Filipino household likes to have saw-sawan (spicy dipping sauce) with their meals. We took the opportunity to start the business during this pandemic and sell online while everyone is at home,” shared Mikaela. 

At first, the siblings just made the sauce available for our family and friends, sharing about it through social media. “Orders kept coming one after another due to positive feedback from those who have tried it. A lot of people have told us that our product has the right balance of taste of the garlic and chili. Our price is also very reasonable,” said Mikaela. 

They started selling on Carousell as they found it easy to sell on the platform. Mikaela shares, “everyone is on Carousell. It’s either you’re selling something or looking for something. And that’s why we decided to post it there.”

The siblings sell the sauce during their spare time, with Angelo in charge of production, and Mikaela handling sales and marketing. She created a brand and label for their chilli. “The name ‘Chili G’s’ simply combines Chilli and G for Gelo, my brother. We wanted to make it sound simple and easy to remember,” shares Mikaela. 

Since starting last April, the siblings have sold over 450 bottles of chilli garlic. “This has greatly inspired us to continue with this business,” shares Mikaela. 

We know the past few months have been tough, but Carousellers like you have inspired us by #MakingTheBest – from starting a side hustle to finding treasures. Just like them, kaya mo rin! 🙌