Bread & Butter Bakeshop Brings Franchising Success to Oriental Mindoro at DTI MSME Caravan

Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro  — In celebration of National MSME Development Week this July, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched its region-wide e-commerce and digital transformation campaign through the MSME Caravan held in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro — and one of the highlights was the entry of homegrown brand Bread & Butter Bakeshop into the province.

The event, part of the Digitally Nation: Enterprise Digital Transformation Program, was a joint effort of national and local government offices to equip micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with tools to thrive in a digital and competitive economy.

Among the agencies present were:
• DTI Oriental Mindoro, led by Provincial Director Arnel Hutalla
• DICT MIMAROPA, represented by Mr. Julius Atienza Aala
• Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Puerto Princesa Branch, with Atty. Ronaldo Bermudez
• Municipal Government of Pinamalayan, through Vice Mayor Aristeo Baldos
• Small Business Corporation, Land Bank of the Philippines, and GCash as key resource partners

Representing Bread & Butter Bakeshop, Ms. Donna B. Bendita and Ms. Apple Christy Nebril shared their franchising journey with local MSMEs. Their session tackled the essentials of starting and sustaining a successful franchise — from operations manuals, brand consistency, and legal frameworks to franchisee support and expansion strategies.

Bread & Butter’s participation signaled its readiness to enter Oriental Mindoro as a new growth area, inviting local entrepreneurs to explore franchising as a viable business model. The brand, which started in Aklan, has successfully expanded across Region VI and MIMAROPA, making it a strong example of MSME-led regional growth.

The caravan also featured sessions on digital branding, generative AI for design thinking, Paleng-QR Ph onboarding, and digital payment solutions, underscoring the government’s commitment to helping local businesses embrace technology and financial inclusion.

With the support of national agencies and the local government, the MSME Caravan in Pinamalayan became a hub of innovation and opportunity — and Bread & Butter’s story stood as an inspiration for MSMEs to grow beyond their hometowns and into new markets through franchising.