Melvie’s journey to food business success

Melvie’s family lives in a small home. A wooden table sits at the center, just large enough for her husband and five kids to squeeze around during mealtimes. A short stone counter holds a double burner, with silver steamers neatly stacked, ready for the day’s orders.

The space is limited—but Melvie’s dreams stretch far beyond these walls.

It’s almost miraculous how she once struggled to feed her family but is now able to send her son to college.

“We didn’t even have money to buy rice. My son would ask me for five pesos, and I couldn’t give anything,” she recalls.

Today, she earns a steady monthly income of $250—sometimes more during the holiday rush. And it all started when Transform came to her community.

Melvie lights up as she talks about her business and her Transform classes. She pulls out her notebook, its pages filled with handwritten notes from every lesson she learned. From values, to hygiene, business strategies, and recipes.

“I was really interested and took notes. The first lesson was on health…” she recalls and starts reading from pages of her notebook: “Healthy living is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being… symptoms of respiratory infection …lesson five on hygiene and sanitation… fabric conditioner… how to make steamed rice cakes…”