Sonya’s Garden: Reinventing business in the face of disruption in the hospitality sector

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COMING UP with new product offerings has ensured the continued success of Sonya’s Garden, a sustainable farm and hospitality business in Alfonso, Cavite, all throughout its almost two decades in business.

An example of this was during the pandemic, said Sonya Garcia, the business owner.

“We didn’t sit back and complain,” she said in an interview with BusinessWorld.

“What we did was our massage therapists — instead of tending the body — started tending the soil,” she said. “They grew plants and veggies, and then we delivered these to the plantitos (plant dads) and plantitas (plant moms) [through our] distributors in the city.”

The hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Tourism reported that international tourist receipts in the first quarter of 2020 declined to P85 billion, 36% lower than the revenues in the same period the previous year.

BOTTLING ITS PRODUCTS
The erstwhile private retreat also started producing “fast food in a bottle,” with offerings like Basil Pesto in Olive Oil or Puttanesca Sauce, during the lockdown.

“All you do is pour it over pasta or rice and that’s it,” Ms. Garcia said. “You don’t have to go to the market anymore to buy food.”

The company is “hoping to export its products,” she added.

Sonya’s Garden products — including its jams, calamansi (native lemon) concentrate, and salad dressing — are found on the ecommerce platform Lazada at present. Its salads, entrees, and breads are likewise available in the food delivery app Foodpanda.

Ms. Garcia was a banker who left her career to create her private sanctuary. It opened as a business in 1998 after a wedding proposal was held in the garden and word subsequently spread about the place.

The enterprise specializes in farm-to-table food and houses a restaurant, bed and breakfast, spa, bakery, and event venue within the property.

To meet customer demands, it now also offers Filipino food and catering services.

Sonya’s Garden has evolved into health and wellness, with a spa that keeps guests coming back for more, Ms. Garcia told BusinessWorld.

“We have a Korean master acupuncturist with a 99% success rate,” she added. “If you are suffering from different ailments… because of consuming a lot of industrial food, our doctor will be able to help you out.”

IT’S NOT THE MONEY
“Don’t do anything for money” is Ms. Garcia’s tip to aspiring and current business owners.

“Enjoy what you do and take care of your people and their wellbeing,” she said.

In line with this goal, Sonya’s Garden provides its staff — typically locals from the neighboring community – with interest-free loans to enable them to build their homes.

A succession plan is also already in place.

“I want them to run this place the way I would’ve wanted it when I perish from this earth,” Ms. Garcia said. “That is a legacy I will leave to them.” — Patricia B. Mirasol and Edg Adrian A. Eva