How to thrive despite crisis

Avin Ong, the founder and CEO of Fredley Group of Companies, started out packing and assembling hangers to help his family make a living. He got himself into tutoring at the age of seven. He even dabbled in the F&B industry as early as high school, selling fruit shakes at the nearby wet market.

- MONS ROMULO

With an MBA degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and ESSCA-Ecolé de Management in Budapest, Hungary, an honors degree from De La Salle University, and global experience with Deutsche Bank, this 28-year-old self-made entrepreneur was adjudged as an Injap Sia Outstanding Young Entrepreneur in 2018. He was also hailed as a young visionary restaurateur in Asian Dragon Magazine and the CEO Magazine, among other features.

Today, he has 180 restaurants and café branches operating in the Philippines with over 1,000 employees and nine separate brands in the company portfolio including Macao Imperial Tea, Nabe Japanese Izakaya and Hot Pot, 107 Co-working, Mitasu Yakiniku, New York Fries and Dips, Liang Crispy Roll, and Hosaku International Buffet. Just recently, the group has acquired Café Kitsuné from Paris, France. Despite of the current worldwide pandemic, Avin still dreams of reaching his target of having a total of 250 branches operating by year 2021.

When asked how is he going to fare during the current pandemic, he said, “Businesses must innovate and adapt to the coronavirus disruption. We’ve seen our brands as gamechangers, and our current strategy is not to push for sales, but to acknowledge the challenges and to focus on addressing such. Giving our stakeholders that level of confidence and assurance that we are on top of things. Our efforts would focus on making sure that our workplaces follow the guidelines given by the government authorities, and ensuring that our staff are healthy. Safety, at the moment, is our top priority.”