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Tapa is a common breakfast for Filipino families. It is meat cut in thin slices and cured with salt and spices to preserve it. But Mariano Natural, 53 and his wife Mercy, 55 did something magical for the common tapa. Aside from curing it with salt and spices, the Natural couple sun-dried them, and here’s the best part – their tapa cooks just in seconds!

This tapa by the Natural couple has already reached places, with the help of trade fairs organized by the Department of Trade and Industry in Metro Manil and through word of mouth. There were even balikbayans who have placed orders to bring with this tasty meat abroad.

The couple even received an order of 20 kilograms of beef tapa from Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay when he chanced upon them in a government-sponsored trade fair at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

The Natural couple did not start with tapa outright, though, they started with making and selling homemade lonnganisa to augment Mariano’s income as a fisherman and vendor. Mariano, who is the president of the Masbate Fish Vendor’s Association, said “We thought if we’re going to engage in business, it had to be related to food. It is a common need and will never run out of demand.”

Their longganisa business, which they started with a P10,000 capital, was running smoothly and had a decent sales. When Mercy attended a government-sponsored training programs, she was able to learned other products as well, like beef tapa, pork tapa and bamboo shoot pickles.

Since then, there was no looking for the Natural couple who later registered their business as the Nomer’s Masbate Meat Processing. From a humble beginning selling homemade longganisa, the company now earns at least P100,000 in net income in a week and is seeking to become a household name, hoping to tap the export market.