When Nicolette moved to Iloilo to join her husband, Ted Valderama, she turned to cooking her favorite dishes whenever she felt homesick. When the opportunity to open a café at SM City Iloilo came, Ted thought that it would be a good avenue for his wife to expand her hobby. While Ted comes from a family of bakers, he had no background on setting up a café. With SM by his side, they took a chance and Nicolette Bakery + Café was born.
“SM is the place to be,” exclaims Ted. “We would not have been as successful had we opened our shop elsewhere. SM Iloilo is the busiest mall in the city. It has a lot of international and local tenants that aren’t available in competing malls. So, it is a shared competitive advantage.”
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Ted and Nicolette started working on a new range of “ready to cook” deli products their customers can cook at the comfort of their homes and continue to enjoy their favorite dishes from Nicolette Bakery + Café.
Through SM’s assistance in marketing, delivery service and waived fees, their new business was able to thrive and they were able to look after the welfare of their employees in adapting to the new normal.
“Covid-19 taught us that SM Cares,” shares Ted. “SM’s generosity should be shared.”
For more updates about Nicolette Bakery + Café, follow their Facebook account @NicoletteBakery and their Instagram account @nicolettebakerycafe.
