Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Sunshine L. Hernandez January, 6, 2023

12 — ABM Coordinator

Performance Task # 4

Name of the Successful Person : Alfredo M. Yao Residence :

Residence : Manila, Philippines

Present Position : Businessman— Chairman of three companies: Zest-O

Corporation, Macay Holdings, Inc., and Philippine Business Bank

Nature of Work : Envisions the future direction of the company to set target goals for capturing a market, thus
working with department heads to set prices, cut costs, develop new products, market their brand, and
improve service delivery.

Sources of Information :

• businessnews.com.ph

https://www.businessnews.com.ph › ...

Zest-O Owner Alfredo Yao's Rags-to-Riches Success Story

• Philippine Primer

https://primer.com.ph › business › s...

Success Story of Alfredo Yao: The Juice King

• Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki

Alfredo Yao

• Forbes

https://www.forbes.com › profile

Alfredo Yao

Success Story

Alfredo M. Yao was born on November 23, 1943 to the simplest of families. The
eldest among his siblings, he had to sacrifice a lot at an early age. He lost his father and became
the family breadwinner at the age of 12. With 5 other siblings to feed and his mother only
earning money as a sidewalk vendor, Yao knew that he had to work harder to help earn money
for the family. He did a lot of sideline jobs just to earn money, but this wasn’t enough for him
and the rest of the family to live in comfort.
 Due to the hardships that he experienced, Yao struggled in school and could barely
complete his primary and secondary education. Thanks to the help of relatives, he was able to
enroll at Mapua Institute of Technology but was unable to complete his studies due to lack of
funds and poverty.

He got a job at a printing press. But he did not stop at being a worker. Seeing that
the business brings in good money, he decided to learn the ins and out so he could start his
own. He managed to save up enough money to start Solemar Commercial Press, his very first
business. He named it in honor of his mother.

The business went so well that Yao got rich from it. Yet he did not stop with the
printing press business. While in Europe in 1979 to visit various business exhibits, he saw the
newly invented doypacks. Seeing that this would be quite useful for businesses because the
package is sealed but stands upright, he brought the technology to the Philippines. But not too
many businesses were thrilled with the idea. Only juice manufacturing companies were willing
to try the new packs.

He did not feel discouraged, though. Instead, he decided to concoct his own juice
drink to make use of these doypacks. From his kitchen, he created the first orange drink for
Zest-O in 1980. The first batch got sold out so quickly and Yao would soon find fortune in the
juice drink. From the orange variant, Zest-O currently offers many different flavors. The juice
packs come in the original doypacks and also in other variations. The company is also selling
dairy products, power drinks, carbonated beverages, water noodles, condiments, and so much
more. The Zest-O juice packs continue to dominate in this segment and is estimated to hold
80% of the juice market in the Philippines. Amazing!

Alfredo Yao has gone a long way from his humble beginnings. He’s still at the helm
of Zest-O Group and Zest-O Corporation as its chairman but that didn’t stop him from
innovating and diversifying into other businesses.

Yao was also the Chairman of Macay Holdings, Inc., the parent company of ARC
Refreshments Corporation, which handles a couple of popular beverage brands including RC
Cola, and the founder and Chairman Emeritus of Philippine Business Bank, a bank which
focuses on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and has over 139 branches as of 2016.

Some of the companies under the umbrella of the Yao Group of Companies were
Solmac Marketing, Inc., Harman Foods (Phils.), Inc., Amchem Marketing, Inc., Uni-Ipel
Industries, Inc., SMI Development, Inc., Summit Hotel and Resort Specialist, Inc. (Former: Sol
Marina Resort Boracay – Current: Movenpick Resort & Spa Boracay).

With his determination to make something out of nothing, he was able to achieve
beyond what he could ever imagine. One important life lesson for Alfredo Yao is to just work
hard and never lose hope.

“Credibility is built, not given. Respect is earned, not bought” – Alfredo Yao
Process Questions :

1. Describe the life/life situation of the person above before he becomes successful.

The life of Alfredo Yao before he becomes successful is indeed a roller coaster ride.
Imagine, at a very young age of 12, Yao has already faced heavy challenges in life. By that time,
he has shouldered the responsibility of being the family’s breadwinner, because his father
died. For sure it was hard for him to handle, and because of financial instability, Alfredo hardly
finished his primary and secondary education— leading him to stop finishing his college
education. This was so saddening to know. But what I admire most about Alfredo is that he is
dedicated enough to be a successful one. Through his hard work and sheer determination I
know Alfredo's dreams did not die out despite not graduating in college.

2. Is the status of the successful person above ascribed or achieved? Why?

It is achieved because this status of Alfredo Yao is a self-made and earned by

himself. It is also a chosen path of Alfredo that reflects his skills, abilities and efforts when it
comes to innovating new ideas into his business. He reached and achieved his ultimate life
ambition as he has the right amount of determination, courage, patience and hard work.

3. Does social stratification affect life chances of an individual? Explain.

Yes, because social stratification affects a person’s economic situation, status and
power, which in turn affect their life chances. It also impacts any person's access to
opportunity. For example, if a person has a lower education, he/she might only get less
opportunity in society unlike those people with access to higher education who may be able to
find better employment and earn more money, improving their financial situation and enabling
them to further improve their own development.