Eng Bee Tin started as a small stall in the heart of Binondo selling Chinese delicacies like tikoy and hopia. During the 70’s, the business faced a downfall threat that challenged the selling of their products. That was when competitors around the place started to pop-out like mushrooms—they populated the business area to sell the same thing.
Unexpectedly, a 21 year-old, Gerry Chua took over the place of managing the business. He is the eldest among the siblings in the family during that time. This situation really upset him so much that positively resulted to his strong determination and courage to find ways on how to put their dying family business back into track.
He thought that there’s something that he might be lacking or missing out. He suddenly realized that the mediocrity of their products really needed a smart, innovative lift.
One day, he came home with 6 big jars of ube.
He was driven by an idea that maybe combining this with his typical hopia filling would make a difference. It didn’t taste bad though; but as a result, he just created a new specie of hopia that tastes very unique from the others.
Did you know where he got this unexpected innovation? He was at the grocery store when he meticulously asked a saleslady about the best-selling ice-cream flavor that time and was told that it was ube. And from that very moment, he thought about combining this to his hopia creations. Thanks to this saleslady, indeed! Because of her, we are no longer munching over these same old traditional hopia anymore. Because of her too, this new breed of hopia was born!
Since then, Chua’s family business is all back into track again after enduring all these painstaking experiments in developing high quality and satisfying products. He also went to Pampanga just to learn the process of ube-making which has become his secret ingredient why Eng Bee Tin was eventually renowned to be the maker of one of best hopia in the country.
Chua’s effort was rewarded after all. Today, they just don’t sell hopia alone but more of what you can expect from Chinese delicacies. They also sell preserved, sweetened meat products, siopao, mochi, machang, nuts, ready-to-cook noodles, dimsum and more!
The original and famous Eng Bee Tin’s Hopia Ube
Other delightful flavors of hopia
Must try their Mr. Ube noodles too!
