354. Brand Stories: LA PACITA BISCUITS, 1921

LA PACITA QUALITY BISCUITS, 1964 AD

In the 70s and 80s, people joked that the German term for biscuits was “Ski-Flacks” (from Skyflakes, pronounced with German accent), while the Japanese term was “Hai-Ro” (from M.Y. San’s “Hiro” biscuits).  In Spanish, they say, the word for biscuit was “LA PACITA”.   Indeed, all though the 60s “LA PACITA” brand became a generic term for Pinoy favorite treats like biscocho, mamon tosatado and crackers.

The brand name began in the Fabrica de Biscochos Y Dulces Biscuits Especiales, established in 1921 by Luis Martinez at Progreso St. (now J. Eustaquio) in San Juan. In this bakery were baked assorted biscuits, that were branded “LA PACITA”, named after Don Luis’s  wife Pacita.

TASTY...CRISPY...LA PACITA. 1960 PRINT AD

Luis Martinez & Co. produced 5 kinds of LA PACITA biscuits that included Cream Filled Cookies, Club Crackers, Chees-Et,  Tostados (Prima) and Camachile (baby finger cookies), which became favorite in-between meal snacks, pasalubong treats and baon for schools and offices. L. Martinez and Co. also produced Vitamin Bread.

LA PACITA Biscuits were heavily advertised in the 50s and 60s. In 1970, son Felicisimo took over the management and the company was rechristened F. Martinez and Co., Inc. The product line expanded with the addition of  Paciencia, Butter Cookies, Raisin Cookies, and new product launches for Snax and Supreme Flakes. Its assorted Famous Five—all 5 biscuit varieties contained in one big canister—is consistently a pasalubong favorite.

FAMOUS FIVE, 5-IN-1 Pasalubong Favorite

Luis Martinez & Co. was acquired by San Miguel-Purefoods in 2014. Its factory is based in Antipolo City and continues to operate to this day, churning out classic Pinoy snack goodies with the LA PACITA brand, made flavorful by 100 years of outstanding biscuit-making experience.

 SOURCES & NOTES:

Alex R. Castro, originally written for FilipiKnow, under the title “14 Classic Philippine Brands And Their Surprising Origins”, https://filipiknow.net/classic-filipino-brand-name-origin/

Reposted on spot.ph.

340. Brand Stories: GOLDILOCKS BAKE SHOP, 1966

GOLDILOCKS, the old and the new, 1986 and current brand visual identity

In the mid 60s, anyone wishing to enjoy an honest-to-goodness slice of cake for a meatime dessert or a mid-afternoon treat had to wait for mother’s free time to bake one.

EARLY GOLDILOCKS MASCOTS, Source: Goldilocks website

In the Leelin clan, three young housewives’ favorite pastime was baing cakes and pastries. Encouraged by the mounting orders from relatives and friends, their hobby evolved into a small enterprise. On May 15, 1966, a modest  store was opened by sisters Milagros Leelin Yee and Clarita Leelin Go, with sister-in-law Doris, in a small space in an unpretentious apartment row on Pasong Tamo, Makati.

1985 GOLDILOCKS 20TH ANNIVERSARY PRINT AD

A third sister, Maria Flor, suggested that they name the enterprise "GOLDILOCKS”,  after the fairy tale character. The intention was to make it easier for children and their mothers to remember the bakeshop's name, and also because it suggested luck and prosperity. The store was manned by a staff of 5, who took turns in shaping dough, filling in shopping bags and loading goodies for deliveries. In time, the name GOLDILOCKS was associated with “home-baked” confections and pastries , and when one wanted cakes, one thought of GOLDILOCKS.

1990s GOLDILOCKS BRAND CHARACTER

A GOLDILOCKS image was created in the mid-1980s with the help of the store’s ad agency—a standing figure of a girl with golden locks. In the mid-1990s, an industrial design agency streamlined the character, using just GOLDILOCKS' face and a unique font specially created for the GOLDILOCKS brand name. 

The character was altogether dropped, and now, the GOLDILOCKS shop is represented by its monogram G in script, encased in a circle of turquoise shade.

SOURCES:

Adapted from Goldilocks 20th Year advertorial, “Your Good Taste Made It Happen”, Sunday Times Magazine, 11 May 1986.  p. 23.

Goldilocks photo: https://www.goldilocks.com.ph/our-story

Alex R. Castro, “10 Memorable Classic Characters From Local Ads”, spot.ph