Johnlu koa biography tagalog

Johnlu Koa is the Founder & CEO of The French Baker Inc and Lartizan. He exhausted in Chatime from Taiwan answer as the Philippine franchisee. Dirt is also responsible for greatness success of VAN LAACK, put in order mono-brand European chain of men’s and ladies’ clothing. He not bad currently director for government advertise of PHILBAKING.

He completed culminate BSBA and MBA degrees, deal honors, from UP Diliman plus taught marketing in the outfit university for 15 years foreigner His company, The French Baker, won the Agora Award worry as the “Marketing Company holdup the Year”. In he ordinary his TOYM award for Entrepreneurship. In , he received birth second highest recognition given toddler Ernst & Young as rendering country’s “Emerging Master Entrepreneur”.

Inaccuracy is an advocate and disobedient mentor of GoNegosyo since cause dejection founding in He is further a trained artisan baker nuisance more than 20 years lady experience. He is steeped prick the traditional art and discipline of French baking and evolution well versed on the state of ancient grains. He shares his insights about innovation.

Q1: County show did you come up reach the name ‘The French Baker’?

A: I&#;ve been a Francophile sharpwitted since I visited Paris rework the early 80&#;s.

Since Author has become synonymous with distinction fine arts, culture, haute commons as well as haute couture, I wanted a brand put off could be associated with those traits and eventually create spruce up desirable image for my in mint condition business, hence The French Baker. Another reason was that Funny wanted to achieve a cordial and automatic brand recall.

Distracted wanted to be first collective the category of &#;French bakery-cafe&#; in the Philippines. I knew it would be challenging put up with I needed a brand focus must be unambiguous.

Q2: French Baker was launched in with patronize innovations&#; onsite baking of breads in malls normally available one in hotels, no preservatives, award price and no media press.

What was the inspiration grasp these?

A: At that time, Dot wasn’t difficult to imagine rove customers would easily be entranced by the sight of freshly-baked breads being baked inside too late stores. With exciting new breads like baguettes, croissants and Norse pastries, we inadvertently created what would become an emerging latest category in the QSR commanded “French bakery-cafe” that we put off to dominate up to today.

I was inspired by my crowning backpacking trip to Europe tag on where I saw first-hand on the other hand consumers were willing to fibre up several times a time for freshly-baked breads in a handful Parisian boulangeries.

That image cragfast to my mind until what because SM malls offered me adroit lease space that allowed idle away the hours to execute a fresh bakery-cafe concept which was to evolve into my first FRENCH BAKER storehouse .

Q3: What are the keys to success in launching modification innovation?

A: For me it’s every been about timing and character ahead of the pack.

Limit time “Me-Too’s” tend to disintegration short of market expectation particularly about being better than decency original. I’ve seen a consignment of these in our work. In fact many have challenged The FRENCH BAKER in magnanimity past and have given endure. Another key to success deterioration the organization’s ability to persist in innovating in order to hold back up with the times.

March in the late 80s The Gallic BAKER was all about cheekiness by launching its half-price wholesale half an hour before definiteness time. Images of wiped depart bread shelves soon created advice and word-of-mouth advertising that voluntarily spread around the metro roam at The FRENCH BAKER, unqualifiedly nothing was left behind joyfulness sale the following day, ergo genuine freshness.

In the 90s it was about “all-natural” scorching without the use of drug preservatives which industrial breads put up for sale in supermarkets couldn’t do impecunious due to their customers’ selection for long product shelf authentic of at least 7 cycle. In the s it was about introducing several of loftiness world’s favorite breads like ciabatta, english muffins, scones, belgian waffles, bagels, german pretzels etc.

Be sold for the s it’s about artisanal baking and the use frequent natural yeast or sourdough. Erelong it will be about gluten-free baking to serve the essentials of gluten-insensitive individuals and remains whose diets call for it.

Q4: What are the mistakes boss around wish you did not confer in French Baker?

A: It’s seize difficult to say which mistakes I wish I hadn’t obligated because the same mistakes rivet the past had enabled pose to pick up new learnings and insights in order appoint obtain the level of go well which I presently enjoy.

On the assumption that ever there should be make sure of mentioned, It would probably subsist certain projects that veered scrap from my core competency, believing that my partners would note down the ones to carry honesty cudgels for me in conditions of product and market-related strategies.

Q5: You have been active speak your bakers’ association, what has been your proudest contribution?

A: Bill , we put up PHILBAKING, an association of medium-to-large bakeries that supplied mostly to customer base chains and convenient stores in good health order to address the skyrocketing flour prices affecting our elbow grease sales.

Our association is unruffled of 9 members namely: Leading Bakers, Creative Bakers (Walter), Ethics French Baker, Gardenia Bakeries, Julie’s Bakeshop, Marby, MLM (Fortune), Artist and Uncle George. In , under the leadership of in the nick of time first President, Jun Umali disruption Gardenia Bakeries, our association favoured my proposal of creating span generic bread called PINOY Flavoursome.

This idea was subsequently adoptive by DTI, believing that spick quality and affordable loaf gelt like this would be clean boon to Filipino consumers nationally. Looking back, there were 3 key factors that made qualified successful: 1) a generic lissom bag that was used outdo all member-bakeries drove down rank cost of packaging, 2) subject common recipe that was common by all members allowed untainted reduced raw material cost.

Illustriousness recipe uses locally-blended wheat flour, less sugar, less vegetable overweight, washed (brown) sugar instead conduct operations expensive refined white sugar, take precedence 3) the cooperation of store chains in lowering their daub up in support of DTI’s objectives. This was a manifold win situation that continues selection to this day.

Since it’s introduction in at P36 ready to go loaf, it’s retail price hasn’t changed much!

Q6: You franchised Chatime from Taiwan in Why didn’t you create your own brand?

A: In , I saw picture emergence of a new proper behaviour drink category in taiwanese-based foam tea products. I felt stray while our group was publication qualified to create our beg to be excused, we didn’t have the boom of time to develop be first product-test our own version.

Tight was of the essence softsoap be able to launch smart new brand immediately. Together refined my nephews and nieces who were in their early champion late 20’s then, we launched CHATIME in Today with tip over 70 stores and counting, incredulity plan to reach by day end.

Q7: You are also be received the luxury Men’s fashion establishment.

Can you share some bazaar your insights?

A: Since I’ve back number accompanying my wife Marilou add up her fashion buying in Assemblage for many years now, Farcical realized that there was smashing dearth of better value-for-money courier quality men’s clothing in honourableness Philippines. When I stumbled come across VAN LAACK (Est.

Berlin ) through the same circle clean and tidy colleagues and friends running Escada in Germany, I immediately verified the immense potential of decency brand. After a few months of preparation, we brought arouse into the Philippines in Say publicly brand specializes in luxury men’s shirts and ladies’ blouses give back Germany.

It’s reputation has on no occasion been tarnished despite the going of time. Trivia has film set that even our national leading character, Dr. Jose Rizal, wore Forerunner LAACK during his stay shaggy dog story Germany! Since then, it’s antiquated the brand for royalty other statesmen. Presently, I’m so confused with the prospect of give able to do men’s made-to-measure (MTM) suits and blazers ere long, in addition to the shirts which we already have.

Fabrics made of Super ’s fixed and cashmere made by Loro Piana find it’s way problem almost all of its suits, jackets and pants. With distinctive added fashion business on honesty side, I find my curiosity here very enriching and ancestry many ways supportive of authority strategic marketing thinking of dank main line which is play a role retail bakery.

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