I grew up with my grandparents. While my mother went overseas to support me and my sister, it was my Lolo and Lola who raised us day by day. My childhood wasn’t perfect—but it was rich in lessons.

I watched how they took care of us. Quietly. Consistently. Without expecting anything in return.

That kind of love stays with you.

Living with my grandparents taught me responsibility early. It taught me patience, resilience, and gratitude.

I learned that love isn’t always loud.

It shows up in routine.
In sacrifice.
In presence.

Those values became part of me long before I knew they would shape a brand.

I always dreamed of building something of my own. Even as a child, I dreamed of having my own company.

At school, I started selling handmade hair accessories to my classmates. It wasn’t about big profits—it was about creating something, sharing it, and seeing people happy because of it.

That feeling never left.

At 14, I moved to Spain to study. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

Spanish culture was very different from Filipino culture. I had to adapt quickly—new language, new customs, new way of life. I learned what it meant to live between cultures, never fully one or the other.

That experience shaped my identity deeply.

At 20, I started my first company: Tenement. It didn’t work out.

I made bad decisions. I trusted the wrong influences. I didn’t yet know who to trust—or even who I was as a founder.

At that time, my motivation was simple: make money.

The brand had no real purpose. And without purpose, it didn’t survive. But it taught me something invaluable.

I finished my studies and built a stable corporate career in finance—one I still have today.

On paper, everything made sense.

But every night, I felt an itch.
A quiet restlessness.
A feeling that something inside me was unfinished.

I didn’t know what it was—until one night, I finally listened.

I decided to start again.

Not chasing money.
Not chasing validation.

But going back to what mattered.

That’s when Lola’s Garden was born. This time, the dream was clear.

Lola’s Garden is my way of giving back.

It comes from my longing for my grandparents, my Filipino roots, and the values they lived by:

• Give without expecting anything in return

• Help, just because you can

• Care deeply, quietly, consistently

This isn’t just a perfume brand. It’s my way of honoring where I come from—and sharing it with the world.

Because some dreams aren’t about success. They’re about meaning.