Kian John Austria Niala is no stranger to hard work, spending his first years in college selling homemade ice cream and palamig on the side of PSU Road.
Now, only two years later, he reaps the fruit of his labors, as Kian opened his second business stall, Aspar Lemonade, on the other side of the same road.
Kian initially started out with small things to support himself and earn extra income. He is currently in his third year of studying Hospitality Management at Palawan State University (Palawan SU).
He started selling ice cream to support his studies, when he first got into college in 2023, gradually building up to sell beverages like sodas and palamig by the area in the corner of PSU Road and the highway of Brgy. Tiniguiban, where turo-turo stands line up in the afternoon, ready to feed starving college students on their way home after their eventful days in school.
“Nag-start po talaga ako sa homemade ice cream, palako-lako sa PSU. Tapos palamig. Nag-umpisa talaga iyon dito, diyan ako sa kanto na yan, sa mismong harap nito,” Kian said, gesturing to the street across from where Aspar Lemonade stands.
Like clockwork, Kian consistently sold his wares every afternoon after school. He would come home, gather his wares, then come back to school until the early evening to catch students.
Kian’s initial capital for the ice cream was a mere P 300- enough to buy the basic ingredients of milk, cream, sugar, and flavoring. After studying late at night, he would make his products in order for them to chill while he was at school, so that they would be ready to sell by the afternoon.
The homemade ice cream was such a hit that Kian managed to build a business around affordable coffee, aimed at students. He had enough money saved up to rent a small stall for Aspar Coffee, located in Brgy. Tiniguiban’s national highway, that same year that he started selling ice cream.
While it took two more years for business to grow, it had grown plentiful enough that not only did Kian have enough investment on the business, he also had money left over to fully finance Aspar Lemonade near where he started his business.
Bittersweet
The now 22-year old business owner had the sole entrepreneurial spirit in his family.
Having no older relatives that were able to give him advice or starting capital on how to steadily build up his business, Kian struggled with the basics of building a business by himself.
Since he carried his wares everywhere, he didn’t know how to make a business stand on its own until he was invited by another entrepreneur to sell during a Balayong People’s Park event, at the Barakalan.
“Doon talaga ako nag-grow. Doon namulat yung utak ko kung paano ito, kung paano yung business permit- wala pa akong business permit dati. Wala akong alam sa ganun, basta tinda-tinda lang. Buti may nag-invite sa akin na taga-Barkalan, sinali ako tapos nilakad ko kaagad. Dalawang araw kong nilakad yung permit. Buti na lang nakaipon,” he recalled.
Money remained to be a source of difficulty, though it has lessened since he built his stand.
A refreshing change
Competition was fierce at first, as Aspar Coffee is but one of many novelty coffee shops built around Puerto Princesa that sold cheap ice coffee to passersby. But while some had trained baristas or expensive equipment, Kian had nothing but simple mixes and brewed the coffee by hand.
It was why Kian remained resolute that the prices of his beverages be affordable to students whom he knew from experience needed food and drink but had little money.
Thus, his second business was not an expansion of Aspar Coffee, but a healthier option for college students.
Aspar Lemonade offers ₱39 for a drink, where there can be a pure lemonade option, or one of four fruit flavorings—lychee, strawberry, blueberry, or green apple mix. Aspar Coffee has a “Buy 1 Take 1” option for P 99.
With his experience, he found a good dealer of lemons for the stand to keep lemonade prices low but still give quality products to customers.
Kian wants both his shops to do great to establish more stands around Palawan. He hopes his business pursuits will also encourage entrepreneurs and working students to go after their dreams.
“Wag po nating hayaan na yung pangarap natin mananatiling pangarap lang, gawin natin yung makakaya natin,” he said
