It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s a flying pig! Hahaha. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I was sitting in the Cebu airport yesterday afternoon, and was amazed by the swarm of folks who descended on the tiny stall carrying Zubuchon products in the pre-departure lounge, and observed as they completely wiped out the afternoon delivery of fresh lechon well before stocks were supposed to run out. I should take this chance to say THANK YOU on behalf of the Zubuchon team to all of you who have tried our lechon, and many who have come back again and again in the 7 or 8 short months we have been in operation. It still gives me a thrill to walk onto a plane and see several boxes with the silly red pig happily prancing about. But yesterday was a particularly startling day. For the first time in 8 months, despite careful management of stocks and detailed data gathering to try and predict sales patterns, we were PRACTICALLY WIPED OUT of all products at all outlets! And just as we were reaching for our last reserves (we sell frozen lechon with re-heating instructions as well) a call came to the airport and a request from folks traveling on the private jet of a well-known business tycoon for 10 kilos of frozen lechon, to be taken on board in a half hour’s time. Let’s just say I was most amused. When the silly lechon that started out as an experiment, ends up on television for a worldwide audience to see and now provides employment and sustenance for a growing group of folks ends up FLYING TO MANILA ABOARD A PRIVATE JET while I squeeze into by row 64 aisle seat on PAL purchased online for just PHP600 each way, you know the darned pig has arrived. How ironic is that? Hahaha.
Here’s an early tip for marketmanila.com insiders. If you are planning to order a whole Zubuchon for delivery to Manila (or whole lechons for Cebu) during the peak holiday season from December 1 – January 20 or so, please place your orders early. While we have increased our production capacity significantly and are furiously building additional roasting facilities, we are still very small scale and everything is hand turned, so we cap the number of orders we receive for particular dates. Folks with weddings in December thinking of ordering 10 or more lechons for one event are already starting to book orders… So when you have a firm date for a particular event, party, etc., please book your lechons early. Call 032.236.5264 or 0917.627.4761 for more information. Thanks.
The Flying Piggy Bank was a gift from P, thanks!
39 Responses
Hilarious!!! You made my day, MM! :)
haha, what a cool story! the pig that goes places
that is the cutest cherub-pig that I ever did see! Congrats on your fattening (aka expanding) business,MM!
I’m still smiling from ear to ear with this one! LOL! :D Lucky pig is leaving on a (private) jet plane! :D
yes mr.MM your pig has arrived!! after reading your post i was smiling and glad to have read your story. too bad i havent tried the mother of all lechons. maybe in my dreams…
the little pig that could..and did!
MM, am bringing eight friends to the BTC outlet straight from the airport this saturday!
hahaha indeed the darned pig has arrived, in style at that! LOL Congratulations MM and crew for the success of Zubuchon. More power! MM folks who want to start a new business should learn from you. You are such an inspiration.
The famous pig!
I should seriously try Zubuchon when I return to Cebu this year.
Congratulations to you and your crew, sir. I was able to sample your lechon about a week ago. It had a unique flavor because of the herbs/spices you use and definitely more tender than most lechons I’ve eaten in recent memory. Keep up the great work!
Congratulations Marketman! May God continue to bless you and the crew and may your business continue to flourish and provide jobs to our countrymen! It is indeed heartwarming to know that you not only gave us the best tasting lechon b ut are helping so many people as well.
Like Mom-Friday, I am smiling from ear to ear. I am just amazed and very happy at the success of your Zubuchon. I can’t wait to try it when I go home. More power to you, MM, and to your crew. Mabuhay!!
Congrats! Congrats! I can’t wait to visit Cebu and taste the Zubuchon!
congrats MM!
Congrats, MM! ;)
congratulations to the continuing success of Zubuchon! I hope I could have a taste of that famous and flying lechon one day :)
WOW…Zubuchon has definitely arrived!!!! Or should I say “Taken off”? …..hahahaha.
Hey MM, September 6 is just around the corner, and that’s when we started out at the Sunday Market at BTC (Sept. 6, 2009). The Zubuchon not only can fly, but also placed a smile on thousands of faces!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Will the next Zubuchon stand be at S&R-Cebu?
Fantastic news MM! All the best to you and the Zubucheon Crew!
Felicitaciones!! Well Done!
congrats!!!! i am going to Cebu for the first time in Nov. i am hoping to bring home this famous lechon!!!! (well, one reason why i am going there ..is bec of the lechon!!) BTW, MM when is your next EB? i missed the last one.
And you wouldn’t know it might have reach a far way country already….
@Junb….Zubuchon has gone to Hongkong before it learned to fly by itself….hehehe
ironic indeed!! congrats!
With his frequent flyer miles, I’m sure the pig had more than you Sir MM… even though he doesn’t go back to Cebu hehehe
Pigs do fly! Just don’t ask them to sing. It irritates the pig and make of fool out of one’s self.
Very witty!
So when are you opening a Zubuchon in North America? Pretty please?
will finally get to taste your pig in Dec….when we get home for Christmas..until then!
my flight from cebu manila is 7am, where can i buy this lechon that early?
I’ll have you Zubuchun in a week’s time! I’m coming at your Banilad branch! Can’t wait!!!
yum! yum! crunch! crunch!
rose, the departure lounge in the domestic airport has a stall that carries zubuchon, but if you are departing at 7am, and in the lounge at say 6am, the chances are they will only have frozen lechon at that point… if you are lucky, the 7am delivery on most days will get there a little early, but I wouldn’t count on that… :(
MM, can one bring frozen zubuchon to the US? Won’t the US Quarantine freak out? I’m going to San Francisco on Sept 19 and plan to go to Cebu just to buy that a few days before. Thanks for your advice.
moni, I don’t think U.S. customs would be happy with frozen lechon, even if it is already cooked. You might try, but I suspect they will ask you to dump it… RV Escat, try to get to the BTC branch around 11 am for the freshest lechon, or call 0917.627.4761 to reserve.
MM, many thanks for your advice. I won’t take that risk coz I will be blacklisted. I’d rather just go to BTC and buy fresh zubuchon and share it for lunch with Millet and Edik if they are somewhere in the vicinity.
ay sayang, Moni..i didn’t read your comment until now. we went straight from the airport to BTC, and got there just as Rey was unwrapping the second lechon for the day, and this was still around 11 am. i had planned on just picking up our 2 kilos order and bringing them to the resto where we were going to have lunch, but when my friends saw the lechon, they insisted on eating right there. good thing the crew always has plenty of disposable gloves and napkins on hand. everyone agreed it was the best lechon ever, so now there are 8 new converts. a little on the salty side, they all said, but with a dip of sukang tuba, it would have been perfect. so now, MM, my friends are suggesting that you include some sinamak and some steamed rice or puso in the zubuchon stall for folks like them who can’t wait to bring the order home. ;-)
Hi Marketman,
I am still laughing after reading your article; just so funny – love that little piggy cherub too! I am coming home from CA with my son very soon. I am taking him to Cebu for a day and enjoy the famous delicasies of my grandfather’s home province. We are looking forward going to BTC to try your Zubuchon. Just wondering if you can give me an idea on shipping cost with Cebu Pacific if I am taking a whole lechon with me flying back to Manila?? Any idea on the cost of the whole small Zubuchon??
Your articles are life savers for travellers like us; very informative.
Best regards!
Gigi, please contact 032.236.5264 or 09176274761 for more information re: Zubuchon. If you are checking in the lechon yourself, you may be charged between PHP1,000-1,500 depending on weight. Zubuchon also airfreights to whole lechons for pick-up in Manila, prices ranged from about PHP4,500-7,500, based on weight of lechon, and including all freight charges. MM
Hi MM,
While this isn’t such a big deal, I felt I should still inform you about my buying experience with Zubuchon. I talked to May last Nov. 18 to reserve 3 kilos of fresh lechon for my afternoon flight on Nov. 21. I made it a point to reserve 3 days in advance to make sure that me and wifey will be bringing home the fresh version of “the best pig ever” after our short trip to Cebu. But to our dismay, we found out from Tricia before our flight that our order was not delivered. While we were able to purchase the frozen version, we would have been happier if your crew were able to deliver on their commitment. It’s a good thing you have a ready stock of frozen lechon or else wifey would have been utterly disappointed.
Anyway, the lechon (though frozen) was indeed the best!
Hi Steve,
It is a big deal. We do want to meet all commitments. I have looked into this and spoken with the two staff members involved. It seems one crew member took the order and confirmed it for 5:30pm on Sunday. The last delivery to the airport on Sunday was at 1-1:30pm. And while we had very, very strong sales yesterday, the staff did note your order and did set aside the fresh lechon that arrived at 1pm. However, the crew are also under very strict orders to transfer unsold fresh lechon or orders that are not yet picked up into the freezer after a specific number of hours. This is to ensure freshness and prevent spoilage. We have no preservatives or MSG and follow stringent food safety guidelines. So it is likely that all remaining fresh lechon yesterday afternoon was put into the freezer by 4:30-5:00pm or thereabouts.
When you arrived at 5:30 pm to pick up your order, you were probably dismayed to see the order emerge from the freezer, partially chilled and on its way to being frozen. It was still fresh, but had now spent up to an hour in the freezer.
But I understand your concern. Number 1, we should not have promised a 5:30pm delivery time if it was not likely a delivery of fresh lechon would be made later in the afternoon as is the case during the week, but not always on Sundays. Number 2, you should have at least been contacted by text to advise you of the issue. Number 3, I hope they explained that the lechon, which should not have been frozen through, was still good to go and could be heated for immediate consumption that evening.
Having said all of this, we at Zubuchon aim to please. And totally appreciate your feedback. So if you live in Metro-Manila or reasonably accessible distance, I would like to make sure you get three kilos of fresh lechon (unfrozen) completely on the house. Not to worry, this does not impact crew negatively, instead, I view it as an opportunity to serve customers better. I will email you privately in a little while to give you details. Thanks so much for your comment and feedback.
Regards,
MM