By Edg Adrian A. Eva, Reporter
WHAT started as a way to fund a college education has grown into a food business with outlets across Greater Metro Manila, driven by demand for vegetable snacks modeled after chicharon or pork rinds.
“Initially, the sole purpose of OMG that made us gamble on business was just for us to pay for my tuition fee during college,” OMG OH MY GULAY owner Jericho Narvaez said in an interview via Microsoft Teams.
The family-owned business launched in March 2024 with a stall at SM Fairview in Quezon City. Mr. Narvaez and his mother, Evelyn C. Narvaez, started the business to help finance his pharmacy studies.
OMG OH MY GULAY sells vegetable-based chicharon in different flavors and pack sizes. It has since expanded its product line through two units offering desserts and vegetable-based drinks.
The company has operated in 22 locations across Greater Metro Manila since its launch and runs 13 stalls.
Its outlets include Greenhills Mall in San Juan City, SM North EDSA and SM Fairview in Quezon City, and One Ayala in Makati City. The company has also expanded into Cavite and Pampanga.
Products are sold through Facebook, Instagram and Lazada in addition to physical stores.
Mr. Narvaez said the idea came from his mother in 2023. A longtime brand ambassador for Mercury Drug Corp., she wanted to develop an alternative to traditional pork rinds using vegetables such as green peas and potatoes.
“So what makes our chicharon healthy and stand out from the market: It’s made of vegetables and it uses less oil as it is air-fried,” Mr. Narvaez said.
The company said its products contain less fat and fewer calories than conventional pork rinds.
Mr. Narvaez said the company is securing Food and Drug Administration registration and expects the process to be completed before year-end.
The company plans to add more permanent stores and expand further outside Metro Manila by 2027.
Mr. Narvaez said OMG OH MY GULAY would continue combining mall-based sales with social media marketing as it seeks to boost its customer base.
The business employs more than 30 workers and plans to add staff as operations expand.
The growth strategy comes as interest in plant-based food products increases. Market research firm IMARC Group projects the Philippine plant-based food market to grow from $58 million in 2025 to $131.3 million by 2034.
“We want to sustain the growth we’ve achieved and establish more permanent stores,” Mr. Narvaez said.