A lot of hardwork, patience, perseverance, determination and a real passion for the agricultural supply business are the qualities that made the phenomenal success of the family-owned enterprise, De Oro Maramag Agricultural Supply, Inc.
During the early 1980s, a young couple, Antonio & Graciosa Bayagna, sensing a potential target market in agricultural supply products took a risk and overcome challenges by establishing their first retail store in Maramag, Bukidnon. They rented a small modest space with three live-in employees. Luckily, they have maintained a decent level of sales volume. This was mainly attributed by the couple’s hands-on supervision despite the distance from Cagayan de Oro City, their homebase, to their store location Maramag, which would take them almost four hours travel due to the bad road condition during that time. Almost everyday the couple have to be there in the store to personally oversee the operation of their business, even sacrificing sometimes their family bonding to be with their young kids on holidays and weekends. Nevertheless, inspite of this set up, they still manage to balance work and family life.
Two years later, the couple was able to purchase, on a very strategic location, a two-storey building at Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro. Here, they catered well their target customers–small and big time farmers. Eventually, they renovated the building and a big warehouse was constructed within the property for storage of fertilizers and other farm implements. With adequate parking, enough to accomodate trucks for loading and unloading of their supplies, and an easily accessible location, the influx of customers and buyers increased coming from different areas of Mindanao.
With the spawning momentum of the demand of agricultural supply products in the region, they hired more people to help them in marketing their products. With the right kind of support from their employees, as well as from their suppliers, De Oro Maramag Agri Supply became one of the top seller in agricultural supply products.
Amidst stiff competition, the company was able to sustain itself. They still got high sales and was able to corner a large market share of the agricultural supply market. The company sees to it that they deal with their partners, and even competitors, fair and square. As part of running a business, problems can’t be avoided–may it small or big. But with their faith and trust in the Almighty Lord, the Bayagna couple endured. Sir Jun is the strict and disciplinarian type while Maam Susie is the relaxed and approachable type of person.
With the fulfillment of their vision for their business, they were able to have their children finish their college studies to help them manage their business. March Ann Suzette, the eldest, earned her diploma in Business Administration from the University of San Carlos in Cebu City. A. G. Donna, finished her diploma in telecommunications management in Florida, USA while Marc Grant, the youngest studied in the United Kingdom.
After 34 years of hardwork and perserverance the couple is now reaping the price of their sacrifices. With the learnings, discipline and with the advent of modern technologies, the couple can now slowly relax from their daily routine for three decades and maybe leave it to their children to handle their company now.
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Do you join public bidding re procurement of inorganic fertilizers and hybrid rice seeds?