February is an extra special month for me. It not only happens to be my birth month, but on February 1, 2011, I made my very first delivery of Carmen’s Best – the “baby” I named after my only daughter Carmen – to the Echo Store in Serendra, Taguig City. It was also a day when anything that could go wrong did. Our one and only ice-cream machine broke down, and since I wanted to be sure the incident wouldn’t be repeated, I bought not just one, but two ice-cream makers! Since then, it’s been one remarkable journey that has been studded with many amazing experiences, most of all meeting good, sincere and upstanding people along the way. The suppliers and sellers, who’ve become my friends; the people who, just out of the blue, come up to me and tell me how meaningful Carmen’s Best has become to them and their families, the memories of occasions they associate with eating it. The product has grown to mean something very personal to them as it has to me, too. A lot of important things that have happened in my life, I can’t help but connect to ice-cream. Whether it’s a celebration or a bad moment, the need for ice-cream is natural – it seems that way for a lot of people. So, when I meet Carmen’s Best fans, I feel immediately connected to them. By their reaction, I can tell they sincerely love it. I treasure having this personal connection with the customers. It’s also heartwarming to know they trust the product enough to give it to their loved ones or stock it in their freezer and buy it regularly because they are keen to try the different flavors. I feel like I’m right there in their homes. When my friends eat Carmen’s Best and appreciate the taste and quality, they say they often think of me, knowing how much time and effort I put into coming up with the recipes. I’m glad they agree with the way I believe ice-cream should be made. As you can see, my feelings for ice-cream really run deep. Doing our bit for the community, I’m happy to report that through Carmen’s Best and the other companies I run, we’ve been able to raise these past years over a million pesos for PGH’s adult leukemia program. Another beneficiary of ours is the Good Shepherd Baguio’s baking kitchen where we donate twice monthly all our egg whites for the Sister’s popular cookies and confections. What’s in store for the brand in the next seven years? I simply hope to get as many people to try Carmen’s Best and realize that the Philippines is capable of producing something that is excellent…that is world class. I believe that we’re on our way to doing it. Thank you for all your encouragement and support. It has meant so much to us! | 
