Cerezo

Location: Subic, Zambales Province Central Luzon Region

Founded: 2000

Type of business: Family Business

Products: Rattan Furniture

Workers: 8-15 part-time Male/Female: Most men/1 woman

People's Recovery, Empowerment and
Development Assistance Foundation, Inc.

PREDA Fair Trade Assisted Project

Rattan Furniture 2003

Brothers, Delfin and Rico were not expecting to be running a furniture business, at least not so soon after it was established. With the untimely death of their father, followed closely by a prolonged illness and death of their mother, the brothers find themselves operating Cerezo’s Rattan Furniture out of a roadside building in Barangay Pamatawan, Subic, Zambales, Philippines.

Their father was originally a rattan weaver in Pangasinan province. He came to the Olongapo City/Subic area about 25 years ago and worked for many years in a large rattan weaving business in Olongapo City. In May 2000, he purchased a small lot in Subic with a cinderblock building and was in the process of converting it into a workshop for his own custom-made rattan furniture business when he died.

Presently, the business is able to employ up to 15 people on a part-time basis, most of whom are tenant farmers. Among them are three regular weavers, two men who the frame the rattan furniture, two who sand and finish and a tailor who works when the furniture needs cushions and pads.

Workers are provided room and board on premise in the workshop, in addition to the wage that is based on items built and the difficulty of the design.

Head weaver, Ricardo Casumsum, learned and honed his craft in a large export factory in Manila. Originally from Pangasinan, he was known to the elder Cerezo and was asked to join his new business when it opened in Subic. Mr. Casumsum is a meticulous weaver with an eye for detail and proportion. He brings the very high quality of workmanship which is necessary for export quality furniture to this small business. Casumsum continues to travel between his farm and family in Pangasinan when he is not working full-time in Subic.

At the present time, the business is dependent on drop-in clients and word of mouth business. Through its association with PREDA, it hopes to increase the visibility of its furniture both locally and internationally.

As a new supplier they will be able to take advantage of the seminars and workshop that PREDA is scheduled to hold that are targeted for Fair Trade, organizational and business development, marketing and pricing.