All these years I thought a woman was behind Aying’s – my favorite pastillas from Nueva Ecija. Last week, I found out that Aying is a nickname for Ariel. “Madami ngang naghahanap kay Aling Aying,” laughs Mr. Aying Viñas.
The fiftysomething and his wife Nancy started their successful enterprise in 1995, selling chicharon from Nancy’s mother’s rice stockroom. Eventually, Aying decided to include pastillas on their product list. “Mas sanay ako sa pastillas kaysa sa chicharon, ‘yun ang trabaho ko talaga,” he explains. He learned to make pastillas when he was 14 years old, while working for his aunt.
Nancy and Aying Vinas
Before putting up his own pastillas business, he sought his aunt’s blessings. But he also made sure their offerings were different from hers. “Malaki yung pagbabago na ginawa ko pati sa paraan ng pagluluto kasi hindi rin sasadyain ng customer kung ganun lang din, kung pareho lang. Tatlong flavors ang natutunan ko sa tita ko: yema, ube, atsaka pastillas de leche. Pero binago ko ang recipes at ang ginawa ko, naglagay ako ng iba’t-ibang flavor para maging kakaiba sa kanya – pastillas de queso, pastillas de langka, at buko pandan. Tapos nilagay ko sa isang box at ginawa kong assorted.”
He is grateful to Vintage Sports’ Ricky and Farah Velez for the business’ first big break. The couple chanced upon Aying’s store while stuck in Cabiao traffic. “Natikman nila yung pastillas at tuwing uuwi sila sa Nueva Ecija ay nagdadala sila. Di po ba yung mayayaman maraming bisita lagi? Lahat ng nagiging bisita nila ay nagugustuhan,” Aying beams. “Sila mismo ang nag-offer sa asawa ko na tulungan nila kami. Nakita nila yung buhay namin, talagang mahirap po. Sabi nila, magdala daw kami weekly ng 50 boxes, ibebenta nila sa Manila, sa Shell Magallanes. Tuwang-tuwa naman kami. Noong araw, napakadami na po nung 50 boxes para sa amin,” he relates. Since then, their brand has experienced a steady growth. “Dahil sa kanila, dahil sa mga customers. Sila ang nagpalaganap na masarap ang pastillas ni Aying. Unti-unti lang, hindi naman uso ang Facebook noon so hindi ganun kadali.”
January is peak season for Aying’s They get a lot of balikbayan customers who hand-carry their iconic red boxes on the plane. “Pag panahon ng naman ng kampanya at pyesta, puro pulitiko kasi nireregalo nila. Pero ang regular customer talaga namin ay yung mga may sakit na mayayaman. Yung mayayaman kasi lumuluwas sa Maynila para magpatingin, bumibili sila ng ipapasalubong sa doktor,” he observes.
Aying used to do everything himself, from cooking to cutting the paper wrappers and packing. Now they have a team of 20 running like clockwork. “Pinakamahirap po yung paghahalo kasi kailangan tuluy-tuloy ‘yun. Nakasalang ka sa apoy nang ilang oras,” he describes. Each batch requires approximately 40 minutes of non-stop mixing, everything is still done manually. The Department of Science and Technology offered to provide assistance in mechanizing their operations but Aying refused. “Ayoko po eh kasi yung mga tao na ito, saan papasok?” he worries.
Through the years, the quality of Aying’s pastillas has remained consistent. The secret? Hiring good people, close monitoring of production, and listening to customer feedback. “Bawat sabihin ng customer, ‘wag mong babale-walain, kailangan pakinggan mo lahat,” he emphasizes. Pag may nag-message sa amin na nabago ang timpla, aalamin ko na po lahat simula sa gatas.” Aying’s pastillas is made with pure carabao’s milk and he said there’s not enough of it to go around. “Kahit marami kaming customer, yung gatas ng kalabaw may limit kaya hindi kami makapag-branch out kasi kakapusin, mawawalan kami ng isu-supply,” points out Aying. “Ang magsasaka ay unti-unti nang nawawalan ng lupa so yung kalabaw nawawala.”
This explains why they have been unable to respond to the demand for wider distribution of their pastillas. Right now, they’re only selling at their stores in Cabiao and Gapan as well as partner shops in Laguna and Pampanga. A TikTok shop recently opened to cater to the market in Manila.
So Aying has set his sights on diversifying. They have been selling camote chips, pastillas hopia, toasted pastillas, and most recently, kamias prunes. A gelato line is in the works as well as a selection of healthy juice drinks. “Dati, yung juice pambisita lang. Kasi diba puro kami asukal? So kailangan kong makaisip nang pangontra sa asukal.” He is trying to develop his own supply for this particular project and involve the farmers in his community. The Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, and Philippine Rice Research Institute are helping him with this. “Namimigay ako ng binhi sa mga magsasaka para pag napalaki nila, bibilhin ko sa kanila. Mga roselle, dayap, malunggay, ganun. Kahit nasa bakuran lang. Kung sakaling lumakas, marami akong matutulungan. Para din hindi sila naka-focus lang sa palay.” His goal is to export their products to the Middle East.
He is bursting with ideas and they are deep in research and experimentation, and processing of approvals and accreditations. Business expansion was not much of a priority at the beginning. Back then, earnings were channeled to the education of their children – Neil Bryan who went to University of Santo Tomas and RJ who enrolled in De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. “Ako, nag-aral sa UP – University of Pastillas,” Aying declares with a chuckle. His dream was to provide their children the education he did not receive.
It was an excruciating struggle to get to the sweet life that he is currently enjoying. His father’s sudden passing forced him to start working at a young age. He fell into the wrong group and got hooked on drugs and alcohol and the drinking got worse after their first baby died merely a day after being born. “Hindi ko naipagamot dala ng kahirapan, walang magpautang sa amin kasi wala naman akong ibabayad. Alam niyo po ba, nilagay ko lang sa kahon ng sardinas ‘yun, bitbit ko, isinakay ko sa bus,” he painfully reveals. Rage consumed him so much that he plotted to kill the doctor. Fortunately, his sister-in-law was able to knock some sense into him. “Baka hanggang ngayon, maaring nandiyan pa rin yung galit pero kailangan kong alisin. Siguro hindi para sa akin yung anak ko, kaya lang napakasakit na walang nagawang paraan dahil mahirap lang kami. Yung galit kailangang alisin mo sa puso, hindi ka magiging matagumpay, hindi ka makakapagsimula ulit pag may galit ka sa puso,” he says of moving on.
Through sheer willpower, he was eventually able to turn his back on more than a decade of bad habits. “Pumasok sa isip ko, paano kung gayahin ako ng anak ko, paano kung malaman ng asawa ko na ganito ako?” It was love that ultimately motivated him to change his ways, he did not want to lose Nancy. “Kasi pinaglaban niya ako sa pamilya niya,” he reasons. Interestingly, Nancy and their sons only found out about this side of him when he talked about his past on Karen Davila’s TV show some years back. “May nababalitaan yung asawa ko noong araw pero siguro dala ng pagmamahal, hindi na niya tinuklas.”
Neil Bryan, RJ, Nancy, and Aying Vinas
Aying hopes his story will be a source of inspiration. “Kung makakatulong, kung mahihikayat ko yung tao, bayad-utang ko na rin ito,” he states. To aspiring entrepreneurs, he advises “Kung ano ang alam mo, kung ano ang hilig mo, sana ‘yun ang gawin mo. Hindi sa isang iglap yung pag-asenso, mahabang proseso yung dadaanan mo. Tiyaga, ‘wag kang susuko, mangarap ka nang mataas.”
A box of 30 costs P230.
Learn more about Aying’s through @ayingspastillas on Facebook.
Click the links to access the accounts of their partner shops in Pampanga, Laguna, and Manila.
