By Madelaine B. Miraflor
Aboitiz group's food business unit Pilmico Foods Corp. has opened a business innovation center called Wooden Spoon within TESDA Compound in Taguig City.
The newly renovated facility is set to provide opportunities for women and aspiring business owners to get started on their very own bakery business.
Designed to mimic an actual business production line, the facility is equipped with up-to-date baking equipment and Café Juana, a café that lets students market and sell their own products.
The renovation of the 500-square meter space is estimated to cost about P6 million, with 3.6 million dedicated for the outfitting and design and 2.2 million for the state-of-the-art baking equipment.
Wooden Spoon is named after Pilmico’s flagship flour brand and one of every baker’s most reliable tools.
"We in the Aboitiz Foundation and our partners in Pilmico commit to do our best to help TESDA Women’s Center’s Bakery and Pastry Production NC II program be accredited at the Unified TVET Program Registration and Accreditation System. We will also continue to find more ways to promote education as an enabler of growth and enterprise development. Thus, helping more Filipinos earn more income and have better lives," said Maribeth Marasigan, chief operating officer of Aboitiz Foundation.