Ep 346 - Luis Mesina and Marilen Yap - The Hustle Behind Cake2Go

EPISODE INTRODUCTION

In this episode of Hustleshare, we sit down with Luis Mesina and Marilen Yap, the visionary founders and owners of Cake2Go. A homegrown cake brand that redefined convenience and taste in the Philippines long before online delivery was mainstream. From humble beginnings in a side porch with a borrowed oven, to running 18 stores and pioneering the takeout cake model, Luis and Marilen share their incredible 20-year journey filled with grit, innovation, and heart. This episode also talks about thriving during the pandemic, passing the torch to the next generation, and how tech—especially digital solutions from PLDT Enterprise—has helped them grow in the digital era.

Episode Timeline: 

[00:04:22] – What’s your hustle: The birth of a takeout cake concept

[00:07:01] – Luis’s backstory: from clothing lines to cakes

[00:11:11] – How Marilen came in as investor and co-founder

[00:18:14] – Early NDEs: low overhead, porch kitchen, and delivery runs

[00:21:45] – Market research, downsizing cakes, and solving for price + convenience

[00:27:32] – First signs of traction and December chaos

[00:36:44] – The tech shift: how digital tools helped scale the business

[00:42:26] – Lessons learned and unlearned as founders

[00:45:05] – How Cake2Go pivoted and thrived during the pandemic

[00:52:35] – Bringing in the next generation and succession planning

[01:03:42] – Advice on family partnerships and co-founder dynamics

[01:08:02] – Cash flow fundamentals and scaling sustainably

QUOTES
“When you start off a partnership, you have to define both where you’re good at or what you’re good at. Trust each other. Trust that he can do it. Trust that you can do it. So trust is actually the best advice you can get when you have a partnership like this.” - Luis Mesina

CONNECT WITH LUIS AND MARILEN:

Website: https://cake2go.com.ph

This episode is brought to you by OneCFO & PLDT Enterprise (MSME FiberBiz & %G SIM Only Plans)

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