A Profile of Success: Joselito “ Lito” Tumanan

He initially thought about pursuing a different career path. Little did he know that his eventual venture would take him back to his childhood milieu. Growing up, he watched his mother manage a small canteen in their Makati home, catering to students and office workers in the area.

Joselito Tumanan or Lito to his family and friends, initially pursued his dream of becoming a successful engineer. In fact, he had a license as a civil engineer. In 1985, he went to London as an OFW, hoping to land a job in the engineering field. But like most Filipinos abroad, he took any job available in the market. And what’s available are those only in the food service industry. So he became a busboy, a waiter, and took on various responsibilities in the kitchen. This hands-on experience in the food industry became invaluable later, teaching him not only the demands of different roles but also the intricate workings of the culinary world.

And as a fortunate stroke of serendipity, it was also in London where he met his wife, Mary Anne, who had a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. With Mary Anne’s formal training and skills, she brought expertise and knowledge that complemented his brewing interest in the field of culinary arts.

When they returned to the Philippines, they started their catering services business. He formed FL Catering Services (named after his mother, Fely and himself, Lito). Mary Anne, who is a professor at the College of Home Economics in UP – Diliman, took on the business management part of the business, while Lito took charge of the other half, from marketing to supervising the serving and kitchen crew. To further enhance his culinary skills, he also enrolled at the Sylvia Reynoso School.

Today, FL Catering’s list of clientele would be the envy of other caterers. They have clients as far as Pampanga, Batangas and Cavite. The list also includes banks, schools, hospitals and religious and government institutions.

But as other businesses go, they are not spared from challenges. “The pandemic hit us so hard,“ says Lito. “It was good though that food delivery became in vogue and thankfully, we survived.”

Challenges still persist. Transportation is one, especially when they have to service clients in far locations when he needs to transport big ovens, high pressure stoves and fresh ingredients. Thankfully, however, in these times of technological advances, there is Transportify, a logistics company that is almost a call away.

As for some logistics requirements, there is CBMPC. Lito and Mary Anne remain confident in their ability that they can hurdle them, knowing that CBMPC is ready to support them during tough times. Lito and Mary Anne have been regular members since 2023 and availed of various loan facilities to augment their working capital and fund their various family expenses, including the school expenses of their only son, Jose Mari Gabriel at De La Salle University. At present, CBMPC has just approved a credit line of P400,000 to augment their daily purchase of ingredients for their catering requirements.

Both Lito and Mary Anne are thankful for the assistance the coop is giving them. “To be honest, happy po ako sa coop. Positive po ang masasabi ko sa coop. Unang-una, mabilis po ang pag- process ng aking mga loans.”