About us

About Us

The pioneer of Tipas Hopia
from Tipas, Taguig City.

In the year 1988, TIPAS HOPIA was started by the couple, Mr. Pedro Jr. and Mrs. Susana Flores. They were previous employees of Inang Belen and Amang Pedro Flores Sr. under the family bakery, Tipas Bakery. Pedro Jr. was tasked with handling the finances and buying supplies or equipment from Divisoria. Susana, on the other hand, was tasked to do the costing of the products and computation for the employees’ salaries. The couple were also the ones who process the bakery’s permits and all other government requirements. When their 3rd child was born, they decided to ask permission from Inang Belen to leave the bakery, look for employment, and increase their family income. The couple wished to give a better life to their growing family. Inang Belen convinced them to no longer look for employment elsewhere but instead put up their own bakery with hopia as their product, since it was in demand then. Furthermore, Inang Belen procured a master baker for them that would teach them how to make hopia so they could start their own business.

Since they were just starting, the couple didn’t have their own baking facility, so Inang Belen and Amang Pedring allowed them to use a small portion of her bakery so they could temporarily start their operations there. “Mang Ben”, the master baker who was introduced to them, was the one who helped them formulate their own recipe for their Hopia Monggo, the first flavor of Tipas Hopia. The typical hopia that you would see then was rounded and flattened by hand resulting in an irregular round shape. This was also the kind that was occasionally sold in Inang's bakery. Wanting to set their product apart, the couple, Pedro Jr. and Susana, thought of a way to improve the quality, appearance, texture, and taste of the hopia they will be producing to differentiate it from the hopia already in the market. At the start, they couldn’t afford the salary of Mang Ben yet. Mang Ben would just go to their bakery after his work to teach and guide them on the production process, but they were left to do everything by themselves. They were just six people when they started, making just as much as 2 sacks worth of flour a day. It comprised of the couple, Nanding (brother of Susana) and their household helpers who would help them in the bakery after the household work is done. It was the couple themselves who would wash the mung beans and who would cook the filling in a giant wok with a wooden paddle. During the early days of Tipas Hopia, they would work until 2am in the morning and would have to wake up at 5am to do it all over again. They sourced their own cooking equipment that doubled as a mold to produce a perfectly round hopia, unlike the hopia then that was just rounded and pressed by hand. What they were able to produce was a distinct product with a flaky crust and almost a milky, creamy filling –this was how TIPAS HOPIA was introduced to the market.

When their production reached 10 sacks of flour, that was when they employed Mang Ben, the masterbaker, full time. With the increased demand they also sought to improve their cooking method and with a Php5,000 financial help from an older sibling they were able to buy their first ever gas-powered kalan as they were only using charcoal then. From being the ones who personally delivered their products by sidecar, soon their customers would pull all-nighters to queue for TIPAS HOPIA.

After a year of operations, they were able to move to their own building that was built with the help of Amang Pedring, husband of Inang Belen, over what used to be called “bukid” and “palaisdaan” because it was a land previously used for agriculture. That was when they established Ribbonette’s Bakeshoppe in the year 1989. Though they had their own place by then, it was very challenging as just a small amount of rain would make the roads very muddy and unpassable. During this time, they rented out a space where they would sell the products so the customers would still be able to buy and they also decided to introduce other baked products to make sure that the customers had more products to purchase. That is how some of their bestselling bread products were introduced: Eggpie, Asado Rolls, Ensaymada and Crinkles, just to name a few. The couple hit another roadblock when a fire devastated their bakery just a half year in their new facilities. Through determination and hardwork, as well as support of their loyal customers, they were able to rebuild back and the demand for their products increased further.

The business flourished and the TIPAS HOPIA brand became well known. Soon their mother’s and all their other siblings’ bakeries followed in their footsteps and began to order hopia keeping the TIPAS HOPIA brand a Flores Family tradition. Still, Ribbonette’s Bakeshoppe’s TIPAS HOPIA has stood the test of time and have proven itself as a bestseller, have stayed true to its distinctive flaky crust, unparalled product quality and consistency, and iconic box design.

Read Tagalog Version here

Taong 1988, sinimulan ang TIPAS HOPIA ng mag-asawang sina G. Pedro Flores Jr. at Gng. Susana Flores. Silang dalawa ay dating mga empleyado ni Inang Belen at Amang Pedro Flores Sr. sa kanilang pamilyang panaderya na Tipas Bakery. Si G. Pedro Jr. ang inatasang humawak ng mga pinansyal at bumili ng mga kagamitan sa Divisoria, samantalang si Gng. Susana ang taga-kwenta ng paninda at sahod ng mga empleyado. Ang mag-asawa din ang nagpoproseso ng mga permit ng panaderya mula sa gobyerno. Nang ipanganak ang kanilang pangatlong anak, nagpasya silang humingi ng permiso kay Inang Belen na aalis na sila sa panaderya at hahanap ng ibang trabaho upang madagdagan ang kanilang kita. Nais nilang mabigyan ng maayos na buhay ang kanilang lumalaking pamilya. Pinigilan sila ni Inang Belen sa paghanap ng ibang trabaho at sa halip, hinikayat silang magtayo ng kanilang sariling panaderya na hopia ang produkto, dahil mabili ang hopia noong panahon na iyon. Kinuha sila ni Inang Belen ng isang master baker na magtuturo sa kanila kung paano gumawa ng hopia upang makapagsimula sila ng kanilang sariling negosyo.

Dahil nagsisimula pa lamang ang mag-asawa at wala pang sariling gusali, pinayagan sila ni Inang Belen at Amang Pedring na gamitin ang isang bahagi ng kanilang panaderya para pansamantalang magsimula ng kanilang operasyon. Si Mang Ben, ang maestro (master baker) na ipinakilala sa kanila, ang tumulong sa pagbuo ng recipe ng kanilang Hopia Monggo, ang kanilang unang hopia flavor. Nag-isip sila ng paraan upang mapabuti ang kalidad, anyo, at lasa ng hopia na kanilang gagawin at para maiba ito sa nakasanayan na. Dahil nagsisimula pa lamang sila, hindi nila kayang bayaran ang sahod ni Mang Ben kaya pumupunta lamang siya roon matapos ang kanyang trabaho upang magturo ng proseso ng paggawa ng hopia. Sina G. Pedro Jr. at Nanding, na kapatid ni Gng. Susana, ang tinuruan ng timplada ng hopia.

Ang mag-asawa at ilang tumutulong sa kanila ang gumagawa ng lahat ng proseso ng paggawa ng hopia nang mano-mano lamang. Anim lang sila nang magsimula at dalawang sako ng harina bawat araw ang kanilang nagagawa. Kasama ang mag-asawa, si Nanding, at ang kanilang mga kasambahay na tumutulong pagkatapos ng mga gawaing-bahay. Silang mag-asawa mismo ang naghuhugas ng munggo at sila rin ang nagluluto ng palaman sa isang malaking kawa gamit ang kahoy na panghalo. Sa mga unang araw, nagtratrabaho sila hanggang alas-dos ng madaling araw at nagigising ng alas-singko ng umaga para muling magtrabaho. Sila mismo ang naghanap ng kanilang mga kagamitan sa pagluluto na nagsilbing hulmahan upang makalikha ng perpektong bilog na hopia, hindi tulad ng hopia noon na pinipigura at pinipisa lamang ng kamay. Ang kanilang produkto ay nagkaroon ng natatanging katangian na may flaky na balat at mala-gatas na lasa ng palaman—ganito ipinakilala ang TIPAS HOPIA sa merkado.

Nang umabot na sa 10 sako ng harina ang kanilang produksyon, doon nila inempleyo si Mang Ben bilang full-time master baker. Dahil sa tumataas na demand, hinanap nila ang paraan upang mapabuti ang kanilang pamamaraan sa pagluluto at, sa tulong ng Php 5,000 mula sa isang nakatatandang kapatid na babae, nakabili sila ng kanilang unang kalan na de-gas na noon ay uling lang ang gamit. Mula sa pagiging personal na nagdedeliver ng kanilang produkto gamit ang sidecar, di nagtagal, ang kanilang mga customer na mismo ang nagpupuyat upang pumila para sa TIPAS HOPIA.

Pagkatapos ng isang taon ng operasyon, nakalipat na sila sa kanilang sariling gusali sa bukid na itinayo sa tulong ni Amang Pedring, asawa ni Inang Belen. Doon nila itinatag ang Ribbonette’s Bakeshoppe noong 1989. Bagamat may sarili na silang lugar, naging hamon pa rin ang lokasyon dahil sa tuwing umuulan ay nagiging maputik at hindi madaanan ng sasakyan ang kalsada papunta sa panaderya. Umupa sila ng espasyo kung saan nila binebenta ang mga produkto upang masigurong may mabibiling hopia ang kanilang mga customer, at nagpasya rin silang magpakilala ng iba pang baked products tulad ng Egg Pie, Asado Rolls, Ensaymada, at Crinkles.

Nagkaroon ng isa pang pagsubok nang masunog ang kanilang panaderya makalipas ang kalahating taon mula nang lumipat sila sa bagong pasilidad. Sa determinasyon, sipag, at suporta ng kanilang tapat na customer, nagawa nilang muling itayo at palawakin ang kanilang negosyo. Umunlad ang TIPAS HOPIA at nakilala sa merkado. Di nagtagal, dahil din sa lakas ng demand, sinundan sila ng kanilang mga kapatid sa paggawa ng hopia na may taglay na tatak ng TIPAS HOPIA bilang tradisyon ng Pamilyang Flores. Sa kabila nito, ang TIPAS HOPIA ng Ribbonette’s Bakeshoppe ay nanatiling subok na bestseller dahil sa magandang kalidad, natatanging lasa, at iconic na disenyo ng kahon.