CARMEN’S BEST ICE CREAM: HISTORY AND PRODUCTION PROCESS

A Midterm Project

Presented to

Mr. Cesar R. Dadea

Accountancy and Business Studies Program

Santa Isabel College of Manila

In partial fulfillment

Of the requirements of the Course

MG 103-A4

By

Kathleen Cassey Abela

Bangayan, Revilyn Grace G.

Botones, Arianne Grace C.

Cruz, Ma. Aria Ellyse B.

November 2018
 How it all began…

CARMEN’S BEST ICE CREAM

OUR VISION

The ice cream that puts a smile on your face.

OUR MISSION

We create only the best ice cream you would share with your loved ones.

CORE VALUES

 Social Responsibility — Share with the community

 Motivation — Produce only the best ice cream

 Innovation — Create new and unique flavors

 Leadership — Take the lead as a local company to produce world-class products

 Excellence — Exceed customer satisfaction

 Francisco "Paco" Magsaysay is a down-to-earth, amiable family man , dedicated to his

children and his craft. Behind Paco’s easy, outgoing demeanor is a visionary brimming with

novel ideas and boundless enthusiasm. This primemover and dynamic creator of Carmen's Best

ice cream never ceases to amaze the people around him with his penchant for excellence and

superior quality. Paco is the proud dad of Jaime, Carmen and Mikey; plus two wonderful Shih

Tzu’s, Duchess & Petunia.

Paco Magsaysay takes us back to Carmen's Best Ice Cream's humble beginnings.

The story of Carmen’s Best started in 2007 when his father, Jun Magsaysay, together

with his friends, bought a farm in Bay, Laguna.

 When they started the dairy farm, they had in mind to offer 100% fresh milk. This means

that the milk is pasteurized at the right temperature for fresh milk pasteurization, which is 76.5

degrees. Whereas, most milk available in the market is prepared differently to prolong shelf-life.
 At first, we had trouble selling the milk because it doesn’t last as long as the other

commercial brands. So my dad said, “Paco, can you help me sell the milk or do something with

it?”
 And as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. In October 2009, they registered

the company Carmen’s Best Dairy Products, not knowing yet that they will be making ice cream.

They started playing with flavored milk, cheese, pastillas, and other possible products you can

make with milk, but something felt amiss.

It was only about a year after when Paco realized the potential of creating the product that

he truly loved. He remember how during all his travels growing up, there’s one thing that he

always have to try – ice cream.

He lived most of his growing years in the US, so he got exposed to a variety of flavors,

and perhaps very Western ones, which later on became a strong influence in the flavors they

make.
 His travels inspired a lot of the flavors that they offer, such as the Hokey Pokey which he

tried in New Zealand. The Spanish Turon in Spain, which is an almond ice cream. Every flavor

has a story. And as Paco travel throughout all the parts of the world, he get to eat more ice

cream, and try different flavors. He thinks that he’s able to successfully put that it in the menu of

Carmen’s best.

They first made three flavors, which are: chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Then they

later experimented with the more complex ones: Salted Caramel, Brazilian Coffee, Butter Pecan

and Malted Milk, which remain to be their bestsellers until now. But even then, they made it a

point to use only best ingredients when they create the flavors. They never make shortcuts. And

each one of them is made with a distinct character and inspiration.

Just thinking of those flavors Paco ate during his travels, he remembers the happiness he

felt when he was eating it for the first time. And that’s exactly the feeling he had when he tasted

his very own, Carmen’s Best. That’s when he knew that they’re up to something special -

something that he would be proud to share with his two sons, his daughter Carmen, and to the

families of everyone who choose their product.

 Carmen was born in 1997; she’s the name of the brand, Carmen’s Best. “The fact that it

is Carmen's name I will never shortchange the quality of the ice cream because it’s the name of

my daughter. I will not cut back on ingredient to save or to earn even for a bit of money because

that means I am not being true to Carmen,” Paco said.

“Another brand name would have made a sense of detachment. You can do whatever it is

you want but not in this one. When it is your only daughter's name there is a different attachment

to it. It is more personal,” Paco added.

IT’S A MATTER OF TASTE

When Carmen’s Best choose their ingredients, they always have the best taste in mind.

They don’t believe in short-changing the product for the sake of profit.
 “How we choose our ingredients is based on taste and not on profit margin. Given a

choice among four options, we wouldn’t take the cheapest; we will take the best flavor,”

according to Paco.

He said, “Each ice cream is made from the bottom up. All our ice creams are made

differently. Some will have more eggs than others; some will have more sugar, more nuts. It’s

very different and unique.”

CARMEN’S BEST MILK IS NEVER SPOILED, BUT THEIR COWS ARE

“We take the business of ice cream-making seriously. And we believe that the best result

can only be attained by making the best measures as well. In terms of getting the best ingredient,

we place great importance on the main component of our product, which is fresh milk.”

“In our farm, we make sure that the cows are well taken care of and we empower the

women in our team to be more proactive in taking care of our cows because we believe that the
empathy is there. They would best understand how difficult the milk extraction process is, so

they are gentler to the cows.”

“We also create a peaceful environment where the cows listen to classical music. This

makes them relax more and be ‘happy,’ which also improves the quality of the milk they

produce.”

“All these, so we can ensure that Carmen’s Best is made with the best milk possible.”

THE SCIENCE OF MILK PROCESSING

In Magsaysay’s farm in Bay, Laguna, they get to control the feed, they control the breed,

and they control how we take care of the cows. Because of that, they have 80% of our product

covered in terms of the milk.

 There are many ways to process fresh milk. One way is called UHT, which stands for

Ultra High temperature. It is a way of pasteurizing milk in 135 degrees Celsius. In doing so, you

take out a lot of vitamins and the taste of the fresh milk. This is also why you get to store it in

shelves without refrigerating. This extends shelf-life of the product, which is better for

commercial brands.

The second one is the ESL, which stands for ‘Extended Shelf Life’ milk where the

pasteurization is 135-120 Celsius. The milk lasts shorter than that of UHT but still longer than

Fresh Milk Pasteurization.

At Carmen’s Best, they pasteurize our milk at 72.5 degrees Celsius, or High

Temperature, Short Time, which is the temperature for fresh milk processing. They are the only
company in the country that has a fresh milk pasteurizing plant, and does it at 72.5 Celsius.

You’ll notice it in the taste of their milk and our ice cream. The quality of the milk all in all. The

shelf life is not as long but the nutrition and the quality is so much better.

Having consistency from the cream to the air in the ice cream, Carmen’s Best believe that

their craft is not just an art but a science where all the elements play out to reveal the taste and

combine the flavor of each ingredient.

Paco infected the entire organization with his passion and mindset of delivering

the Perfect Ice Cream.

The freshly churned ice cream is only mixed with the Best Ingredients selected based

on taste (not based on profit margin).

Each container is handcrafted in small batches and made to order based on demand.
 Some of the ice cream flavors are inspired by Paco's foreign travels–Hokey Pokey from

New Zealand, Turrón from Spain, and Stroopwafel from the Netherlands.
THE ULTIMATE SEAL OF APPROVAL FOR PACO

“I feel like the ice cream is a big part of me. From the color, the flavor, the ingredients,

the logo, the packaging. That’s why I get really touched when people say that they made their

children try it, their moms, their dads,” Paco believed.

 “Imagine, they make their children eat it. And for you to make your kids eat the ice

cream, that's a lot of trust. You just don't feed your kids anything. I believe that it has to pass a

certain standard before you give it to your kids. I think that’s a very special achievement.”

“It shows that Carmen’s Best has truly become part of a lot of people’s lives. As you hear

them talk about it, they have a big smile on their face. It’s so fulfilling to be doing what we’re

doing. Even though I’m tired and I remember how people feel about our ice cream, it makes me

want to work harder. To give the best to our customers,” Paco happily said.