Home-cooked meals have always been a source of comfort for anyone. It might be as light as a piping-hot bowl of soup or a hearty braise, but a meal at home made with love has a way of lifting the spirits. However, can canned goods be considered home-cooked meals?
Delimondo’s Katrina Ponce-Enrile believes so.
“All of the products that we have developed are based on our own family recipes. I wanted to offer our customers the same dishes we would have at home,” Ponce-Enrile shared.
The idea for Delimondo started in the mid 2000’s. Back then, Katrina usually prepared preserved or bottled items which would be given to friends as Christmas presents. “I was just giving them out every Christmas in a plain can without any label. My friends told me that I should start selling them instead of just giving them away all the time,” she recalled.
The name came about as a goal of sorts for Katrina’s new food venture. She wanted to create a full deli line with different pantry staples, from corned beef, to sausages, dipping sauces, drizzling oils and other items. Back then, delis offered imported international food.
Katrina wanted a line of international food made locally, thus the name Delimondo.
Her first foray into selling Delimondo products started in the Salcedo Saturday Market, a weekend market which has made a name for itself as a place where visitors can find hidden culinary gems. The initial few years were difficult, with many naysayers commenting that the product is not being received well. “Every year, they would say that this is not going to fly, that we were not making money. But I believed in our product. I believe in what I have created,” Katrina said.
Her perseverance paid off when membership shopping store S&R started carrying Delimondo products. This opened the floodgates and soon other supermarkets and groceries were carrying the brand with its distinct white label. Katrina noted that the popularity of the brand grew solely by word of mouth and social media, with not a cent spent on advertising.
Today, Delimondo’s corned beef line is the flagship product of the brand. The ranch-style corned beef is widely considered the best tasting local corned beef brand available in the market. For those who seek variety, there are also other flavors available. The Caldereta-style corned beef is based on Katrina’s own caldereta recipe while the Barbacoa corned beef is more complex with a Mexican flair using spices during its slow cooking. The Chili and Garlic variant is perfect for those who want some heat in every bite.
Other offerings that the food company currently offers include bottled items such as Bacalao, Callos, and spicy Tinapa, as well as different sausages, sauces, and other cured meats. The brand is also constantly developing new products and flavors. The latest addition to their corned beef line is the Adobo and Tapa corned beef which would please anyone who has a hankering for Filipino flavors. Delimondo has also expanded their offerings to include Yellowfin tuna chunks packed in either brine, extra virgin olive oil, or hot and spicy olive oil.
Delimondo has come a long way from its humble beginnings in the weekend markets. It has managed to carve its niche as a premium canned and bottled food brand. And while it can be deemed successful by any metric, Katrina is still keen to continue expanding the brand’s product line. While she remains mum on future products, she readily admits that her kitchen is still pretty active, as she draws from her experiences and travels to create new dishes that she could share to others.
