“In a way, I was poor. I was hungry, maybe not for food but for self-achievement. I thought there must be something more I can do than just being a housewife. I was very determined to succeed, in whatever came my way,” thus said Julie Gandionco as quoted by the Inquirer, the Philippines’ local newspaper.
In January 1981, then-50-year-old Julia Gandionco opened Julie’s Bakeshop to satisfy her thirst for proving that she is more than a housewife.
Julie’s Bakeshop gloriously celebrates being one of the Philippines’ largest bakery chains with more than 500 branches all over the country, which can be traced back to Mandaue City on the Island of Cebu as its place of origin.
In the 1970s, Julie was a canteen concessionaire at a rattan company, and subsequently became a manager of its sister company. She also opened another canteen a year later.
Having these three canteens being managed, she felt the rising demand for bread which made her take the chance of opening a bakeshop, despite having zero knowledge of baking.
Julie stressed that her bakeshop exists because of “a growing need for bread products and a strong trust in God,” and that she desires to encourage and uplift other mothers to dream big and strive for their goals.
