Kean Arcilla Ramos, an 18-year-old from Bgy. Tunasan, Muntinlupa, has gone viral on social media because of his unique way of selling desserts – on rollerblades! 

An incoming Grade 12 student at Muntinlupa National High School-Main, Kean is helping his family in this time of pandemic by delivering bottles of coffee jelly, a dessert made of coffee, sugar and milk, to customers in their barangay and nearby Cuyab in San Pedro, Laguna. 

He told Manila Bulletin he thought of helping his family out in his small way because his father is sick and there are mounting bills and debts that have to be paid.

“Nagtinda po ako kasi daddy ko may sakit. Walang magbabayad ng bills namin at aming mga utang. At medication pa ni daddy. Ayaw ko din po makita na nahihirapan si daddy. Gusto ko pong makatulong so nag-try ako magbenta ng coffee jelly (I went into selling because my dad is sick. No one will pay for our bills and debts, and my dad’s medicine. I also don’t want to see my dad suffer. I want to help so I tried selling coffee jelly),” he said. 

Kean’s 53-year-old father used to work as a GrabFood delivery rider but was afflicted with a bacterial infection last January that took him off the road for months.  

Last July, Kean’s father was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate and needed a catheter. The medication will reportedly take a year.  

The third of four siblings, Kean learned to make coffee jelly from his sister-in-law and mom, who sells leche flan when there are orders. With a capital of P800, including P300 from his dad, Kean started making coffee jelly on Aug. 13 and used his rollerblades given by an aunt to deliver the desserts.  

Kean’s coffee jelly sells for P65 per bottle and sells from 10 to 30 bottles on the average in a day. “Nahihirapan po pero hindi po dun sa rollerblades sa dinadala kong Grab bag kasi may laman po. Na-a-out of balance po minsan at dahil malubak dito, yung sa balikat ko po masakit. (It’s hard but not because of the rollerblades.  It’s because of the Grab bag I carry where I place the desserts.  Sometimes I lose my balance because of the rough road.  My shoulder hurts),” he shared. 

He uses his earnings to buy food for his family and saves the rest to grow his coffee jelly business.  While he dreams of going to college and take up civil engineering, Kean also dreams of one day own a small café`.

But he will continue selling coffee jelly on rollerblades, meantime to help tide his family over.