via Graphic Plus — When Reginal Del Rosario first sold lumpia wrappers in a small public market, he never imagined that one day his products would reach more than 120 SM Markets branches across Luzon. Nor did he think his family would one day travel abroad, buy properties, and provide free housing to their employees.
But his journey isn’t simply about business growth. It’s about courage, resilience, and a father’s unwavering dream, one that grew beyond what he thought possible.
Building from the Ground Up
Reginal did not come from wealth. He grew up helping his family run a small tailoring shop that produced school uniforms to support the household. Among five siblings, he was the only one to finish college, working his way through school to do so.
After graduating, he began thinking long-term. While the tailoring business was stable, he knew relying on a single source of income put the entire family at risk.
“Kapag humina ’yung negosyo namin, lahat kami damay,” he said.
With his family’s support, Reginal made the difficult decision to step away, not out of conflict, but out of responsibility, and a desire for personal growth. He tried several ventures, from selling livestock feeds to trading surplus televisions from Japan. When LED screens replaced older models, the surplus business collapsed, forcing him to start over once again.
The setback pushed him to look for something more stable, something people would always need. That search led him to food business.
The Unexpected Breakthrough
In 2012, Reginal began selling rolled cheese sticks in local markets, working alongside his wife and a small team of five. While doing this, he noticed the steady, everyday demand for lumpia wrappers.
He set up a modest production space behind Savemore San Ildefonso, Bulacan. Savemore employees would occasionally buy wrappers from him for their Turon, small purchases that quietly signaled his product met supermarket standards.
Sensing an opportunity, Reginal gave a simple instruction to his staff: “Kunin mo ’yung number ng manager.”
It wasn’t an instant breakthrough, but it opened a door.
Becoming an SM Markets Supplier
In 2017, SM merchandising reached out for an interview. On February 27, 2018, Reginal was officially onboarded as an SM Markets supplier.
He started with ten (10) Savemore Market stores in Nueva Ecija, supplying regular weekly allocations, while other branches followed 15- to 30-day delivery cycles. Whenever stores ran out ahead of schedule, Reginal made sure to deliver backup stocks to meet demand.
At the time, everything was still done by hand. Reginal and his wife personally made the wrappers and delivered orders themselves using a small Suzuki Swift. Volumes were modest, but every delivery was treated with urgency and care.
That reliability did not go unnoticed.
Within months, SM Markets expanded his coverage to more Savemore branches in nearby provinces, then farther north. A year later, more stores came in from Cavite including, not just Savemore, but also SM Hypermarket branches.
Soon, Reginal found himself delivering to SM Markets branches across Laguna, Batangas, Pampanga, Ilocos, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela, and Cagayan Valley — a reach he once never imagined.
Growing Beyond Wrappers
As the partnership strengthened, Reginal began supporting more in-store needs. From lumpia wrapper, he started also supplying saba bananas for Turon, followed by singkamas and togue.
Around this time, his son, Jelo, began taking interest in the business—joining sourcing trips, observing operations, and learning how every delivery mattered. It felt fitting. Reginal had named the business after his son, alongside the women from his original production team who formed the backbone of the operation in its early years.
In the beginning, sourcing was done through wet markets, often before sunrise. But as orders grew across multiple SM branches, this approach became unsustainable.
To ensure consistent supply, Reginal shifted to direct sourcing from farmers in different regions. His son even traveled to the mountains of Davao to negotiate directly with landowners. In some cases, they paid off mortgaged land in exchange for guaranteed harvests; an ambitious but calculated move that allowed them to deliver even when others could not.
Today, their saba bananas reach 64 SM Markets stores.
Tested by the Pandemic
The pandemic tested everything Reginal had built. Lockdowns complicated logistics. Supplies tightened. Many suppliers pulled back.
But the systems he put in place held. Direct sourcing allowed his team to keep delivering while others struggled. During this period, even new opportunities emerged. In fact, SM Supermarket Baguio had then reached out to begin deliveries.
The crisis also validated Reginal’s earlier decision to diversify. The family tailoring business shut down during the pandemic, but his partnership with SM Markets meant his own business did more than survive; it continued to grow.
He brought in siblings, nieces, and nephews, turning the company into a shared livelihood when stability mattered most.
Why SM Markets Made the Difference
For Reginal, becoming an SM Markets supplier changed everything.
SM Markets’ consistent growth allowed him to expand with confidence. Timely payments made reinvestment possible; more trucks, better facilities, wider reach. And simply being associated with SM gave the business instant credibility.
“When we talk about SM, everybody listens,” he said.
Through reliability, quick response times, and a no-fail delivery mindset, Reginal became more than a supplier—he became a trusted partner.
Years of persistence have turned a small market operation into a business supplying over 120 SM Markets branches across Luzon, running multiple product lines and operating about ten (10) delivery trucks today.
It is a transformation Reginal reflects on with humility. “Ang suwerte, minsan lang dadaan sa buhay ng tao. Once na nahawakan mo ’yan, huwag mo na siyang pababayaan.”
His journey shows that success is not measured by numbers alone, but by grit, care, and staying true to your values. With SM Markets as a partner, Reginal continues to grow—bringing others along every step of the way.
