Ernanie B. Llema
Rel Seafoods Owner
Ernarnie B. Llema, 51, Rel Seafoods, established in 1992 and has added crab meat processing in 2012, employs 154 people, has reinvested into 17 motorboats, building and equipment, joined CARD Bank 5 years ago, undisclosed earnings.
From starving housewife to successful businesswoman, Ernarnie Llema’s life story is a modern day fairy tale. But 25 years before their happy ending, she and her husband were so poor that they subsisted on porridge, or stayed hungry all day.
“Sometimes I was the only one who ate, because I was pregnant. My husband went to work without eating,” she recalled.
With their young children, they decided they had to do something to make their lives better. They moved from Manila to Masbate, where Llema’s husband started fishing, and saved enough money after two years to buy his own motorboat. Their business, Rel Seafoods, slowly began to take off as their children got older. Their whole family also started to pitch in, with Ernarnie’s in-laws giving them a loan. But the challenges kept coming, including a government ban on their high-yield fishing method.
“There were times we did not have enough money, not even a single cent,” she recalled. “Sometimes, if we didn’t have the money, we had to borrow money to provide [the fishermen] what they needed to catch seafood.”
Llema joined CARD Bank five years ago and borrowing from the bank helped Rel Seafoods overcome those difficult periods, enabling Llema to buy boat fuel and pay for repairs, deliveries, and her children’s education. The plant, which recently added crab meat processing, now employs more than 150 people – and she plans to expand it further.
“We plan to have a canteen for our workers,” she said. “Right now we provide them coffee, soft drinks, and bread, but they are going to other stores to buy snacks. “
Since establishing Rel Seafoods in 1992, Llema has learned many valuable lessons, including the importance of careful budgeting and keeping the lines of communication open with partners and employees.
“You work hard to earn money, so don’t just spend it carelessly,” she said. “When we spend, we make sure that is not more than what we’ve earned.”
Today, the business has 17 motorboats and 154 employees. It’s not always easy to work with family and manage so many people, but Llema said the most important thing is to maintain a positive attitude.
“You must also have a lot of patience,” she concluded. “It is inevitable to get angry sometimes, but you should always put a smile on your face.”
~ Ernanie B. Llema