Tags: Entrepreneurship, Handicrafts
By Anna Valmero
ANGELES CITY, PAMPANGA – Proving the ingenuity of Filipinos to turn a misfortune into something profitable, Pampanga native Rossano Osi started a small business of designer frames and decors made from “lahar”.
Lahar, of course, refers to the mudflow spewed by Mount Pinatubo that blanketed many parts of this province. Nineteen years after the Pinatubo eruption, Osi is now president of Excel Frames and Decors and provides livelihood to fellow Kapampangans.
His company employs 50 workers who handcraft export-quality frames, jewelry boxes, religious icons, candle holders and decors made from volcanic ash.
“Almost every Filipino alive in 1991 would remember the catastrophic eruption of Pinatubo in 1991. Now the good part is that something good came from that, some 50 families in Pampanga rely on this business,” says Osi during the recent “Buy Pinoy Entrepreneurs’ Fair” held in SM Megamall.
His company has produced some 3,000 handcrafted Victorian-inspired frames and decors from volcanic ash. The business provides jobs while making use of lahar deposits in the province.
The company has shipped its Pinatubo ash frames to as far as Europe. These were also bought and turned into souvenir items by Former First Lady Imelda Marcos and her daughter Imee, now governor of Ilocos Norte.
His secret to success? “Quality in every piece of the product,” says Osi.
To make one frame, Osi says it takes almost two months to handcraft the design. The ash is mixed with a binder and resin so it can be molded based on the designs submitted by clients. Workers then mass produce the design to the last detail given by the client.
“In terms of the demand for products like these, I’d say the market is good because clients will pay a premium for the quality of the design and how it helps the environment,” says Osi.
The company’s dedication to quality has earned for it a good reputation among customers. Excel Frames also won the grand prize in three coveted industry design awards: the Arch of Europe Gold Star Award, the International Quality Summit Award and International Platinum Star Award.
“Every Filipino has this opportunity to do business and help create jobs. We are very creative. We just have to find something to convert into a product that will showcase our identity as a quality provider of a certain product,” says Osi
Visit the Excel Frames and Décor showroom at 17 Marcelino St., Isidora Hills Subd., Bgy. Holy Spirit, Quezon City and 19 Mindanao Ave., Pag-asa, Quezon City. For more information, contact them at (02)881-8897 and (0929)7258826 or (0918)9195381; or email the owner at sonny_osi@yahoo.com or sonny_osi@gmail.com.
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