Original Biscocho Haus eyes Visayas expansion

JARO, ILOILO CITY — Iloilo-based Original Biscocho Haus, a longstanding name in the region’s pasalubong (souvenir) market, is stepping up its expansion in Western Visayas, building on almost five decades of local brand recognition.

Founded in 1975 in the home of Teresa J. Guadarrama in Jaro, Iloilo, the bakery began as a family venture to support the education of the Guadarrama children.

Using day-old bread, butter, sugar and home kitchen tools, the business gradually grew from a sideline into a regional brand.

“Biscocho Haus is a product of my mother’s entrepreneurial spirit,” Jose Gerardo “Gerry” J. Guadarrama, the 67-year-old managing director and one of the owners, said in an interview at the family’s ancestral home in Jaro district last month. “She was always into something. She had sidelines all over the place.”

Today, Original Biscocho Haus operates 25 branches and kiosks across Western Visayas. The company, incorporated in 2003 as  Original Biscocho Haus Corp., is adding three more locations in Metropolitan Iloilo, including sites at terminal and central markets, and is building a branch in another district.

Expansion into Antique province is also planned, broadening its reach in the region.

Mr. Guadarrama, the sixth of eight children, said the company is deliberately keeping its focus local. Unlike other provincial brands, Original Biscocho Haus does not plan to enter Metro Manila, aiming instead to preserve its identity as a “pasalubong center.”

“If our products are available at supermarkets or stands [in Manila], would you still come here?” he asked. “We don’t want to become a commodity.”

The brand’s signature product, Bischoco — day-old bread toasted with butter and sugar — remains the top seller.

Daily production reaches about 36,000 pieces, or about 2,000 packs. Original Biscocho Haus maintains the original recipe, avoiding cheaper substitutes to preserve flavor.

The company has combined traditional methods with efficiency improvements to maintain what Mr. Guadarrama calls “upper-class quality for pedestrian pricing,” a strategy credited to his engineering and accounting background.

Original Biscocho Haus has also embraced digital trends, rolling out credit card payments and online delivery services to meet evolving consumer behavior.

The strategy appears to be paying off. In 2025, the company posted annual sales growth of as much as 10%.

With further expansion in key regional markets, Original Biscocho Haus aims to strengthen its dominance in Western Visayas while keeping the brand rooted in its homegrown identity. — Edg Adrian A. Eva