Ronie Francisco: Mamang Sorbetero

With faith in God, hard work and assistance from CCT, Ronie Francisco now owns a small ice cream factory. He has
created 25 jobs for his community.

School children gather around  for an ice cream cone.  

If you love durian then you definitely have to try Tatay Ronie Francisco's durian-cheese ice cream. It's his Number 2 bestselling flavor, after mango-cheese. Both flavors are made with fresh fruit. Not a durian fan? Well, he makes regular flavors too, like strawberry and mocha. 

From One Cart to 20 Carts in 12 Years. Tatay Ronie of General Santos City used to be your typical mamang sorbetero, selling ice cream someone else made.  Then he started his own ice cream business in 2005, making ice cream with a rented mixer and selling it himself from a rented cart. He learned how to make ice cream when he worked at a relative's ice cream factory back when he was a young man in the 1970s. 

He joined the CCT Credit Cooperative in 2006 and used his first loan of P4,000 to buy ice cream ingredients. 

With more assistance from CCT, the business began to grow. By 2007, he owned two carts, one of which he built himself. Beginning in 2008 he started to make ice cream with the use of a bigger mixer that he rented from a friend. Two years later, he bought the mixer. He bought a second mixer in 2012 , and a third mixer in 2014. With better production, he could afford to have more carts built. Today, his ice cream is sold all over GenSan from 20 carts. This means he has created jobs for 20 ice cream scoopers. He also employs four ice cream makers and a cleaning man.

One of four ice cream makers at the Joyce Dawn ice cream
factory. They work from 7 pm to 4 am.

Lettuce Ice Cream, Anyone? Tatay Ronie's brightly painted carts and his tinkling bell are enough to bring children running for his cold and creamy treats. But he doesn't just sell his ice cream from push carts. 

Ice cream scoopers remit payment to Tatay Ronie
at the end of the day.

He also accepts orders for special occasions celebrated by families, companies and schools. Aside from the flavors mentioned earlier, he also makes ube-cheese, buko-cheese, and avocado. And, he occasionally he makes ice cream in an odd flavor such as chayote or lettuce when requested by schools celebrating Nutrition Month.  

Four College Diplomas So Far. Being a mamang sorbetero has helped Tatay Ronie send all his children to school. 

Eldest son Harvey has a degree in education and currently works as a teacher in Thailand. Second son studied information technology and now manages his own computer shop. Ronie Mar, who studied electronics, currently helps out with the family business. 

Joyce Dawn (after whom the business is named) recently earned a degree in electronics engineering and is currently reviewing for the licensure exam. Joylen Grace is in grade 12 and has her heart set on becoming a doctor.  For sure, her father's durian ice cream will help make that dream come true.