Kung may sikat na panghimagas na matcha ang Japan at pistachio chocolate ang Dubai, hindi naman magpapahuli ang beehive dessert ng Pilipinas na may ube flavor na rin. Ang naturang pagkain, aba’y walong presidente na pala ang pinagdaanan.

Sa nakaraang episode ng “Pera Paraan,” itinampok ang Merced Bakehouse, na pinatatakbo ngayon ni Matthew “Max” Gana.

Tampok sa kanilang kainan ang Beehive dessert na marami nang nasaksihang pagbabago gaya ng nagdaang walong presidente, pagkauso at pagkalaos ng cassette, DVD at disco, at ngayon ang pagsikat ng social media sa digital age.

Pero sa kabila ng mga makabagong teknolohiya, mano-mano pa rin ang paggawa sa Beehive dessert, na ginagamitan ng boiled icing na mas floppy at mala-marshmallow ang texture kumpara sa karaniwang icing.

Mabibili ang beehive mula P50 hanggang P60 kada piraso. Bukod sa ube, mayroon din silang berry, matcha, at “OG” flavor na tsokolate.

Taong 1972 o 54 taon nang nakalilipas nang buksan ng pamilya nina Max ang kanilang kainan para sa mga pamilyang Pilipino.

“‘Yung lola ko po, she opened originally in Manila. So even if my lola mismo was not a baker, she really loved sweets. So from the get-go, malakas na 'yung roster namin ng mga products because she got advice from real bakers. So the business was very comprehensive from the beginning,” sabi ni Max.

Kalaunan, minana ng ina ni Max ang negosyo mula sa kaniyang lola. Gayunman, nahinto ito noong panahon ng pandemya.

“The pandemic is also when our founder, 'yung lola ko and my mom, they passed away. So not only was it very difficult in the sense na walang walk-ins, we had to adapt to just doing takeout,” sabi ni Max.

“We had a massive, massive leadership transition. Kasi hindi naman ako trained business person. So, I had to learn from my lola who was dying. I had to learn from my mom on her deathbed. And that's not quite the same as sana nandito ako maybe like 5-6 years na na-absorb ko sa kanila in real time,” sabi niya.

Ngunit ginabayan si Max ng ilang mga staff na ilang dekada na rin nilang nakasama.

“We really try not to change so much 'yung mga recipes and definitely even the people doing it, parang essentially family na po sila. The staff have been for 20, 30 plus years. It kind of feels that way,” sabi niya.

Hanggang sa naging katuwang na rin ni Max sa negosyo ang asawa niyang si Ayen.

Dinala ni Ayen ang bagong timpla sa negosyo para maabot nila ang bagong henerasyon.

“There's a way for us to improve. If we have a digital presence, na meron na kaming website, meron na kaming pages. And slowly but surely, our staff also adjusted. But we realized na, you know, that there's an untapped market na hindi namin naki-cater or nasa-serve because we're not on the app,” sabi ni Ayen.

Makabago na rin ang kanilang marketing strategy.

“Mas mabilis ‘yung speed of information on social media. If you look at our social media presence, it's actually the advocates, the creators, and even just everyday consumers who post their videos, do reviews, taste reviews. Parang doon kami mas nakikilala. And in some ways, it's like an organic word of mouth,” ani Ayen.

Taong 2025 nang magtrending ang Beehive matapos umabot ng 2 million views ang video ng isang vlogger na nakatikim sa dessert. Naging sunod-sunod ito at ginawan din ng content ng iba pang content creator.

“All of a sudden, from 200 to 1,000 beehives a day. I realized that there was hunger for it. Literal hunger or appetite for the beehive. Nung nag-viral 'yung beehive, tumaas din 'yung sales ng lahat ng mga produkto namin,” sabi ni Ayen.

Ayon naman kay Max, importante pa ring mapanatili ang tatak nila sa kabila ng mga pagbabago.

“You have to really love what you're doing. Like dapat may passion ka beyond the profits. 'Yung ambition namin modest para if we don't reach too far, mas safe na we can continue on further,” sabi niya. – FRJ GMA News