Eng Bee Tin has mastered the art
of producing world- class Oriental
Born in 1912, Mr. Chua Chiu Hong established
Eng Bee Tin in a simple stall in the
heart of Ongpin, Manila. The stall
became well known for its traditional
Chinese delicacies, such as hopia,
tikoy and glutinous balls.
During the 1970s, Eng Bee Tin stood
cloistered in a sea of similar businesses.
Its popularity began to wane and its
products were getting harder to sell
in a competitive environment.
More than a decade passed, and there
appeared to be no end to the downtrend.
The stall’s hopia proved unpopular
due to its consistency. Creditors,
suppliers and friends were turning
a cold shoulder, wary of doing business
with a seemingly doomed enterprise.
The business needed a miracle to survive
It came in the form of Mr. Gerry Chua.
As the eldest among the current generation
of Chua siblings at the time, it fell
upon Gerry to take the reins of the
business at the young age of 21. He
was armed only with a sincere wish
to help his father by affecting a
turnaround on the family business.
On what would otherwise be an uneventful
day, Gerry felt the need to cool off
after a slow day of business with
a bit of ice cream. He made his way
to the supermarket, where he engaged
the saleslady in conversation, asking
what ice cream flavor sold the most.
‘Ube’ was the reply.
Gerry then took six jars worth of
ube, and blended it into a batch of
hopia. After tasting it, he knew he
was on to something. He traveled to
the province of Pampanga to master
the art of ube making under the tutelage
of the best halayang ube makers.
Once the first batches of the soon-to-be
famous ube hopia started rolling out,
Gerry attempted to export them. Response
was lukewarm at first, but business
eventually began to gather steam as
more and more orders poured in from
abroad. For the first time in a long
while, business was good, and it was
about to get better.
Sometime during this period, TV host
Cory Quirino wanted to do a feature
on Ongpin for her new show, CityLine.
Gerry played the gracious host and
paved the way for her staff to interview
and film around the Ongpin district.
Ms. Quirino’s gratitude for
this unconditional assistance was
expressed by featuring Gerry’s
innovation, hopia ube, on CityLine.
Due to this exposure, the business
soared to previously unheard of heights.
Mr. Gerry Chua then renamed Eng Bee
Tin Hopia Factory to Eng Bee Tin Chinese
Its product line has expanded beyond
Chinese Delicacies. One can purchase
quality frozen products, Filipino
treats, processed seafood, and even
breads and cakes – all bearing
the Eng Bee Tin label.
The company’s trend of innovation
continues to this day, from its fully
automated hopia manufacturing processes
to its strict hygienic standards of
quality control (running the final
product through metal detectors, and
packaging it in a hygienic pillow
pack) one is assured good food that
is both delicious and safe.
Never wanting to abandon its roots,
Eng Bee Tin remains in the same spot
it has occupied for over ninety years.
It is a visible landmark in Ongpin,
cheerily lit as a testament to its
booming business. It strives to be
a visible part of the community, evidenced
by the purple fire engines it has
donated to the local volunteer fire
Eng Bee Tin products are locally available
in various supermarkets, groceries,
restaurants, office and school canteens.
The company is also one of the biggest
international exporters of Hopia,
delivering to Asia, the Middle East,
Europe and the USA.