Sevilla Avio

Bamboo Set Maker

Sevilla Avio, 45, Bamboo Set Making, established 1991, employs 4 people, makes a profit of PhP 396,000 per year (USD 9,000), joined CARD Bank 9 years ago, is on her 11th loan.

Hard work, family support and a series of CARD Bank loans have brought Sevilla Avio, 45, halfway to her dream of owning a major coconut plantation. The rest, she said, will just take time and good luck.

Since joining CARD nine years ago, Avio and her husband have taken out eleven loans and now enjoy an annual profit of PhP 396,000 (USD 9,000) from their Bamboo Set Making business. They now make enough money to save for the future, in addition to paying for their supplies and furniture makers.

“I chose bamboo set making because I believe it has a big profit,” she said, noting that they have no trouble selling out their inventory just to passers-by. “Now we want to employ more people to be able to make more bamboo sets faster.”

Avio is cautious about new hires, however, after struggling with workers quitting without finishing their work after their first big payment.

“It was a big lesson for me,” she said. “But you have to persevere. You need to be strong in facing problems.”

Now, as they continue to borrow and save money, she and her husband are confident that they will have a large coconut plantation someday, as well as a copra (dried coconut meat) station.

“We will be industrious and combine our capital when the time comes,” she said. “You have to strategize, so you can make your business prosper.”

~Sevilla Avio