Engkanto Brewery
Engkanto Brewery
Ian Paradies left a stable corporate career (and an assignment in Iraq) to brew something the Philippines had never really tasted before.
Origin Story / Overview
Can you briefly introduce your business?
Hi! My name is Ian Paradies and I am the Founder of Engkanto Brewery.
What inspired you to start this venture, and how did your family influence that journey?
Funnily enough, I had always joked when I was growing up that I would one day love to open a brewery or distillery (because I enjoyed drinking). Never in a million years did I think it would actually happen. I had originally fallen in love with craft beer while studying and later working in the US. Tris was the first person to get me into it, and we would try different beers. I spent 9 years working for my Mom’s family business ICTSI and had just moved back to Manila from a 3-year assignment in Jakarta, Indonesia overseeing our terminal there. At that point, my next assignment was going to be in Iraq, but I wanted to start my own business. I felt there was an opportunity for craft beer in the Philippines as there was a huge gap in the market. There was only 1 massive brewery in the Philippines that captured the whole market, but they only produced commercial lagers. At that point, I felt my experience at ICTSI gave me the confidence to take the plunge, but it was really the support of my family that made me believe I was making the right decision. It wasn’t easy as I had a young family and a good, stable job at the time. But I felt the timing was right.
Also, it always bothered me the Filipinos believe something has to be imported to be considered premium. When you travel the world, people from every country hold Filipinos in such high regard yet we ourselves don’t do the same. I wanted to be able to prove that we as a country could do things as well as anyone else could. You don’t need to be a brewery from the US or Europe or Japan to produce high quality and well accepted beers.
What is this business really about, and what problem or need does it aim to address?
What I love about the beer business is that we are not really selling a product but rather a memory or memories. When you get together with family or friends, you don’t talk about what clothes you bought or what make-up you are wearing, you talk about fun stories and most of those stories revolve around being together while drinking, eating, and traveling. It makes what we do so much more fun.
I believe the need we address is creating some competition within the local beer space as the industry has been dominated by a single brewery that controls 98% of the market. Filipinos haven’t been given the opportunity to fully experience what beer can be. Most Filipinos know of beer as commercial lagers as all San Miguel’s beers are lagers, but beer is so much more than that. Beer can be lagers/pilsners or ales or porters/stouts. They can be dark or light or hazy or sour. You can incorporate fun ingredients into beers like fruits, coffee and chocolate. Sky’s the limit. We believe Engkanto is helping fill that need so Filipino consumers have a choice.
What do you hope family members will learn or take away from your entrepreneurial story?
I hope for family members looking to open their own business, they get some inspiration from our story. I won’t lie and say it has been all unicorns and rainbows. There have been many instances since 2017 where I have asked myself if I made the right decision. But I have learned that our failures were critical for us to learn what worked and what didn’t.
Lessons & Advice
What is one lesson business has taught you that you wish you knew earlier?
That you shouldn’t be scared to fail. It is a part of every Company’s story. Failure is the best teacher and forces you to avoid the same mistakes and make better decisions moving forward. I am always more impressed by how companies get past their mistakes or failures vs their success stories.
What principle, habit, or mindset has helped you succeed, and why?
The importance of being lean and managing your spend. I wish I knew this from the start, but we ended up learning quite quickly. No matter how big you get as a Company, I believe it is a great practice or discipline to always stay lean. Don’t let your success lead to complacency.
What advice would you give a family member who wants to start or grow their own business? I would of course encourage any family member who wants to start their own business to do so. Know that there is a chance that things don’t work out and failure is possible. But failing is ok. Don’t let it deter you. Believe and have confidence in yourself. That is the best driver.
How can our family best support your business moving forward?
It is always great to see family members support us by enjoying our beers or having our beers available when they host people at home or in their office. Just being top of mind when it comes to what beer they have available at home is amazing. And we are lucky to have many family members that literally only carry our beers at home (you know who you are).
Image Gallery (click to zoom)
Speed Round
What is one part of your daily routine?
My work days are pretty hectic as I am constantly running around between our Makati office, our brewery in Carmona and our 6 F&B outlets. I don’t have a fixed schedule, but I try as much as possible to spend mornings working out of our Makati office so I can catch up with Management and touch base with the different departments. The F&B outlets currently take up most of my time.
What is one challenge you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge we have had to overcome as a Company was getting through the Covid pandemic and successfully launching our rebranding while coming out of the pandemic. We saw many of our friends within the craft beer industry go out of business due to the pandemic and the government-initiated liquor ban during that time. With us, we had to really pivot and get creative to get thru 2020-2021, which included selling out of my house when most businesses were not operating.
The rebranding was also a very risky decision we took coming out of the pandemic as it could go either way. We felt confident about our decision to move to a more modern and bright logo, as well as changing our branding and incorporating local ingredients into our beers. But you never know how it is going to turn out until you finally execute it, and it was the best decision we have made.
What is one small win you’re proud of?
The win we as a Team are probably most proud of would have to be all the globally recognized awards we have won over the last 8 years, particularly winning world’s best for our High Hive Honey Ale at the World Beer Awards for its category. It proves that we as a Filipino company can do things just as good as any other brewery from any other country. Plus, it recognizes the Philippines as a world class manufacturer of beer.
Image Gallery (click to zoom)
Origin Story / Overview
Can you briefly introduce your business?
Hi! My name is Ian Paradies and I am the Founder of Engkanto Brewery.
What inspired you to start this venture, and how did your family influence that journey?
Funnily enough, I had always joked when I was growing up that I would one day love to open a brewery or distillery (because I enjoyed drinking). Never in a million years did I think it would actually happen. I had originally fallen in love with craft beer while studying and later working in the US. Tris was the first person to get me into it, and we would try different beers. I spent 9 years working for my Mom’s family business ICTSI and had just moved back to Manila from a 3-year assignment in Jakarta, Indonesia overseeing our terminal there. At that point, my next assignment was going to be in Iraq, but I wanted to start my own business. I felt there was an opportunity for craft beer in the Philippines as there was a huge gap in the market. There was only 1 massive brewery in the Philippines that captured the whole market, but they only produced commercial lagers. At that point, I felt my experience at ICTSI gave me the confidence to take the plunge, but it was really the support of my family that made me believe I was making the right decision. It wasn’t easy as I had a young family and a good, stable job at the time. But I felt the timing was right.
Also, it always bothered me the Filipinos believe something has to be imported to be considered premium. When you travel the world, people from every country hold Filipinos in such high regard yet we ourselves don’t do the same. I wanted to be able to prove that we as a country could do things as well as anyone else could. You don’t need to be a brewery from the US or Europe or Japan to produce high quality and well accepted beers.
What is this business really about, and what problem or need does it aim to address?
What I love about the beer business is that we are not really selling a product but rather a memory or memories. When you get together with family or friends, you don’t talk about what clothes you bought or what make-up you are wearing, you talk about fun stories and most of those stories revolve around being together while drinking, eating, and traveling. It makes what we do so much more fun.
I believe the need we address is creating some competition within the local beer space as the industry has been dominated by a single brewery that controls 98% of the market. Filipinos haven’t been given the opportunity to fully experience what beer can be. Most Filipinos know of beer as commercial lagers as all San Miguel’s beers are lagers, but beer is so much more than that. Beer can be lagers/pilsners or ales or porters/stouts. They can be dark or light or hazy or sour. You can incorporate fun ingredients into beers like fruits, coffee and chocolate. Sky’s the limit. We believe Engkanto is helping fill that need so Filipino consumers have a choice.
What do you hope family members will learn or take away from your entrepreneurial story?
I hope for family members looking to open their own business, they get some inspiration from our story. I won’t lie and say it has been all unicorns and rainbows. There have been many instances since 2017 where I have asked myself if I made the right decision. But I have learned that our failures were critical for us to learn what worked and what didn’t.
Speed Round
What is one part of your daily routine?
My work days are pretty hectic as I am constantly running around between our Makati office, our brewery in Carmona and our 6 F&B outlets. I don’t have a fixed schedule, but I try as much as possible to spend mornings working out of our Makati office so I can catch up with Management and touch base with the different departments. The F&B outlets currently take up most of my time.
What is one challenge you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge we have had to overcome as a Company was getting through the Covid pandemic and successfully launching our rebranding while coming out of the pandemic. We saw many of our friends within the craft beer industry go out of business due to the pandemic and the government-initiated liquor ban during that time. With us, we had to really pivot and get creative to get thru 2020-2021, which included selling out of my house when most businesses were not operating.
The rebranding was also a very risky decision we took coming out of the pandemic as it could go either way. We felt confident about our decision to move to a more modern and bright logo, as well as changing our branding and incorporating local ingredients into our beers. But you never know how it is going to turn out until you finally execute it, and it was the best decision we have made.
What is one small win you’re proud of?
The win we as a Team are probably most proud of would have to be all the globally recognized awards we have won over the last 8 years, particularly winning world’s best for our High Hive Honey Ale at the World Beer Awards for its category. It proves that we as a Filipino company can do things just as good as any other brewery from any other country. Plus, it recognizes the Philippines as a world class manufacturer of beer.
Lessons & Advice
What is one lesson business has taught you that you wish you knew earlier?
That you shouldn’t be scared to fail. It is a part of every Company’s story. Failure is the best teacher and forces you to avoid the same mistakes and make better decisions moving forward. I am always more impressed by how companies get past their mistakes or failures vs their success stories.
What principle, habit, or mindset has helped you succeed, and why?
The importance of being lean and managing your spend. I wish I knew this from the start, but we ended up learning quite quickly. No matter how big you get as a Company, I believe it is a great practice or discipline to always stay lean. Don’t let your success lead to complacency.
What advice would you give a family member who wants to start or grow their own business? I would of course encourage any family member who wants to start their own business to do so. Know that there is a chance that things don’t work out and failure is possible. But failing is ok. Don’t let it deter you. Believe and have confidence in yourself. That is the best driver.
How can our family best support your business moving forward?
It is always great to see family members support us by enjoying our beers or having our beers available when they host people at home or in their office. Just being top of mind when it comes to what beer they have available at home is amazing. And we are lucky to have many family members that literally only carry our beers at home (you know who you are).
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