How far can ₱5,000 really go?
For Salve San Juan, that modest sum became the seed of a thriving food brand now enjoyed in different parts of the Philippines.
Based in Naga City, the 62-year-old entrepreneur began her culinary journey in the most personal way possible: cooking for her family. As a mother and homemaker, she poured care into every dish, ensuring it was delicious, nutritious, and grounded in authentic Bicolano flavors.
Her business began with a humble eatery, with only ₱5,000 capital. Locals loved her food, and soon, tourists visiting Naga started requesting take-home portions of her dishes, especially classic Bicol cuisines.
Finding her niche
Salve discovered she had a natural gift for cooking Bicol specialties—laing, Bicol Express, and ginataang santol. One of her children saw this potential and encouraged her to bottle her dishes to meet the demand of tourists and balikbayans looking for quality pasalubong from Naga.
With no formal culinary background, Salve took a leap of faith. She joined several training programs organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), learning food safety and bottling techniques.
In 2018, she officially founded Golden Mama, a name suggested by her son in honor of her turning 50 — her “golden year.” The home-based operation evolved into a full-fledged brand offering bottled Bicolano delicacies: laing, Bicol Express, and ginataang santol. She later expanded her lineup to include pili-based treats such as salted pili nuts, crispy pili, and cocojam with pili.
All Golden Mama products are made using fresh, all-natural ingredients and refined through years of perfecting recipes to achieve consistent flavor and quality. Her production house sits just minutes away from her physical store, FSJ Pasalubong Center, allowing her to oversee operations efficiently from cooking to retail.
A Business Built on Grit and Resilience
Bottling food comes with unique challenges. Maintaining flavor, texture, and safety without preservatives requires skill and discipline. For Golden Mama, this meant years of innovation, adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and meticulous sourcing of raw materials.
This meticulous approach paid off. Customers across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao kept buying her products, and a network of resellers helped sustain constant demand.
But running a business in the Bicol Region isn’t without challenges. In 2024, Typhoon Kristine brought catastrophic flooding in Naga. Water rose above head level, submerging both her store and production area. Thousands of pesos’ worth of products were lost.
Yet Salve and her team chose to turn adversity into service. They sterilized the food that could be saved and distributed them to families in need in their community.
Days later, they reopened the store.
“Kailangan magpatuloy — not just for the business, but for the people who depend on us,” Salve said.
Her staff, most of whom are mothers, rely on Golden Mama for their livelihood. For Salve, keeping the business running is about supporting her team and giving back to the community.
Scaling a Food Business
Because Golden Mama products are bottled, careful handling during transport is critical. One mishandled shipment could lead to breakage and lost revenue.
“Since our products are in bottles, we need a logistics partner that offers affordable, trustworthy, and quality service to ensure the product reaches our buyer in good condition,” she said.
Entrepreneurs like Salve now have an ally in FAST Logistics Group, which offers logistics solutions designed for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). In Bicol, FAST has established outlets in Naga City, Camarines Sur; Legazpi City, Albay; and Barangay Tugos, Sorsogon.
Business owners can drop off their products at any branch, and FAST handles sorting, shipping, and last-mile delivery. FAST empowers MSMEs to expand their reach without the complexity of managing logistics themselves.
FAST also partners with Bicol MSMEs like Salve to provide trade fair logistics support. Through its affordable and reliable services, FAST handles the delivery of products from Bicol to trade fair venues in Manila, allowing business owners to focus on showcasing their brands to bigger markets.
For Golden Mama, having a trusted logistics provider ensures that every carefully crafted bottle can safely reach homes across the Philippines.
Dedication, ingenuity, and grit can transform even the simplest beginnings into something extraordinary. Connect with FAST Solutions Experts to discover how we can help your business
How to Buy Golden Mama Products
If you’re in Metro Manila, getting your favorite Golden Mama products is now easier than ever. With FAST Logistics, your order can be delivered straight from Naga City to your doorstep. Salve simply drops off your shipment at the FAST Full Service Outlet in Naga, and FAST will handle everything all the way to your doorstep.
FAST is the only logistics provider in Bicol offering hub-to-door service, so you don’t have to book another courier for last-mile delivery.
Shipping rates depend on the size, weight, and volume of your shipment. For small boxes that do not require a full truckload, here are the rates
- Todo Tipid Box (1–5 kg): ₱185
- Todo Sulit Box (6–10 kg): ₱260
- Todo Value Box (11–15 kg): ₱335
An additional ₱15 applies for every excess kilogram. Learn more about our Naga to Manila delivery.