Shiena’s Peanuts

from Bacolod City. #Bacolodpasalubong

While many people give up in the face of a storm, there are those who choose to ride above the waves and surf the flood.

Such is Shiena Mae Ana Pobleto, who recalls that she is no stranger to hardships. According to her, being born into a poor family, she learned to work very early in life. Her mother has the longest-running peanut stand at the corner of Araneta-Luzuriaga Streets, Bacolod City. She would help her mother prepare, cook, pack, and sell peanuts before and after school.

But while helping out in the family’s only source of income, Shiena did not neglect school. She finished her dream course in college—Bachelor of Science in Nursing. And while she studied, she packed peanuts and sold them to her classmates, teachers, and clinical instructors. Everyone was supportive of her venture that she was encouraged to continue.

Eventually, she got married and had her own family. She did manage to work on special nursing assignments but eventually, the call to have her own business was just too strong to resist. She started cooking her own peanuts, packing them, and selling them wherever she could. She had a lot a lifetime of training to do just that and the peanut business just came naturally for her.

In 2009, she had her brand registered and then she joined the Association of Negros Producers (ANP). That was the start of a wonderful journey for her. Shiena gushes about how the ANP as well as other members have encouraged and helped her to grow her business. She says that the food sector of the ANP is a close-knit group and she considers many of them as her mentors.

Shiena has been joining the Negros Trade Fair at the Glorietta in Makati City every year and she is happy to have good returns from this event. This year, she won in the Bulawan Awards for the first time and she is ecstatic to reach this far in her business.

At present, Shiena and her husband still works very hard every day to meet market demands. She cooks while he packs and then they would deliver them to their outlets immediately.  They are a two-man team literally and it has worked well for them.

Life has rewarded their hard work. Shiena is now working on having her products approved by the Bureau of Food and Drug Administration because there is a demand for her to supply to the different supermarkets in Bacolod City. It is still something that she is seriously thinking about because that would mean that she would already be playing in the big league.

Shiena is producing seven peanut variants sold in 100-gram packs in most Bacolod pasalubong stores in the city, most especially at the Negros Showroom at the 9^th-Lacson Streets and at the Robinsons City Walk at Robinsons Place Bacolod. But aside from peanuts, she has also diversified her product lines. She now has pork chicharon, pili nuts, cashews nuts, flavoured dilis, and even peanut butter. She also has a stall at the mall of The District North Point.

Peanuts had been Shiena’s first love. This common Philippine nut has provided for their family, seen her through college, and now, is making their dreams come true. Asked if she doesn’t eat peanuts anymore because she faces them every day for all her life, she said that she never gets tired of peanuts and would munch on them whenever she has the chance. Indeed, she loves peanuts and peanuts love her.

For inquiries of Shiena’s Food Products, please call them at 0939-4995642.