How the CEO of this halo-halo brand turned it into a multi-billion peso empire without trying its products at all
In just a few years, Bebang Halo-Halo has grown from a small sari-sari store into a multi-billion peso empire with more than 20 branches in the country. The interesting part, though, is its CEO and co-founder has not tasted any of its offerings at all.
Bebang is not your traditional halo-halo. Unlike most versions of the Pinoy dessert, this one's not meant to be mixed, but enjoyed from top to bottom. The leche flan is even placed at the bottom of the cup, so you have to enjoy the entire thing first before you get to it. Instead of ice, it's also made with shaved frozen full cream milk with added cream to avoid any diluted taste when it's consumed.
Unfortunately, it's something that Bebang Halo-Halo boss Sam Karazi cannot have.
In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, he revealed he’s allergic to dairy. When asked whether he’s ever tried their products, even just a tiny amount of it, he said with a laugh: “No! I would end up in the hospital!”
The businessman, however, sees his allergy as an advantage. “It’s good that I cannot eat it,” he said, "because I’m very unbiased. I care more about what other people say about the product.”
According to Karazi, many of its menu offerings were adjusted several times based on people’s feedback and not his own. It’s not just the milk, but even other ingredients containing it. “The [recipe for the] leche flan, we changed it like four or five times, until it became perfect.”
They say that for any business to be successful, you have to believe in your product first and foremost. Karazi is proof it's possible to do so even just by listening to your customers deeply and putting them first.
Early beginnings
Bebang Halo-Halo was born in a small sari-sari store at the Quezon City home garage of Karazi's co-founder and good friend Daymae Salumbides, who, out of boredom, decided to make her own take on the Pinoy dessert and offer it to her neighbors on the side in 2021. She named it after her Lola Bebang.
Karazi saw how Salumbides’ customers would patiently line up for it every day. "I saw the potential of the product, and I jumped in. I told her, 'I think this is a good product. I want to help you grow it,’" he said.
Using his knowledge in e-commerce, Karazi created a Facebook page for the brand and ran a couple of ads there. They started offering halo-halo online and became one of the first to deliver frozen goods to people during the COVID-19 lockdown—with a guarantee that they will replace it and refund their money if it arrives at their doorsteps melted.
"The demand was extremely high. We got shocked by the results from day one,” Karazi told L!fe.
Within a week or two, Karazi saw the need to scale it, calling it a “gold mine.” They decided to close the sari-sari store and opened their first branch in Mandaluyong in just a month. “We were looking at the maps of where we can get a good radius to deliver to most of Metro Manila, and then Mandaluyong was like a no-brainer. Exactly from the center, we can deliver to BGC, to Makati, to Pasig. That's what we thought.”
Big break from gold
Bebang Halo-Halo had its big break when it went viral in 2022. Food content creator Abi Marquez featured its menu items, with a focus on its Royal Halo-Halo topped with 24-karat gold and served with a gold spoon.
"In my 22 years as a Filipino, ngayon lang ako nakakita ng halo-halo na may ginto," she said in her TikTok video, which has reached millions of views.
@abigailfmarquez Would you try this 24 KARAT GOLD HALO-HALO? 😱 #foodporn #food #foodlovers #foodlover #foodieph #foodie #filipino #filipinorecipe #cooking #delicious #yummy #foodietokph #fyp #tiktokfood #foodtok #mukbang @Bebang HaloHalo ♬ Witch Familiar (Classical) [Classic](143628) - dice
Per Karazi, the Royal Halo-Halo was inspired by his time with Salumbides in Dubai, which is known as the City of Gold. There, they learned that "normal things can become very fancy," like the coffee at Armani Lounge & Cafe with gold on top. “From the beginning, we took something traditional like halo-halo, which used to be considered street food, and we turned it into something a lot better, something a lot more premium.”
"I reached out to [Abi] directly and I remember telling her that 'Even if you don't like the product, I don't mind. Don't say you like it. I want your honest opinion,'" he said. "And as expected, she really liked it and the video went viral."
Marquez’s video became an instant hit, and so did their business. Their phones blew up with notifications, and they sold over 4,000 halo-halo cups even before they woke up the next day. The demand was too high that they had to cancel some orders and pause operations for three days to fix their production process and keep up.
More locations in the pipeline
The Royal Halo-Halo has been discountinued after selling a huge number of cups for almost P500 each and the hype died down.
Bebang Halo-Halo is now focused on delighting customers by adding more halo-halo flavors on the menu.
Of course, the Presidential, which is its classic version with a little bit of everything, as well as Special, which is the same but without the special macapuno and langka, remain as its bestsellers. But there are unique ones, too, like Buko Pandan, Melon, Strawberry Pistachio, Blueberry Pistachio, Mango Graham, Banana Cinnamon Con Yelo, Halokay Ube, Matcharap, Choco Banana, So Corny! (corn), Buko Fruit Salad, Cookie Crumble, and Mango Classic. Just recently, they introduced another flavor to halo-halo lovers: the Choco Brownie.
Bebang is hoping to enter the international market soon, with plans to establish stores in Dubai, Los Angeles, and Singapore.
But in the near future, they are expanding in Mega Manila, with 40 stores in the pipeline this year. "Those are confirmed locations—fully paid, funded, and ready to build. We're just waiting for some to be empty," Karazi shared.
Whatever the season, long queues continue to be seen at Bebang branches. "The expansion could partially solve the problem, but I hope it doesn't," he said with a smile. "To be honest, it doesn't hurt to see long lines in front of our stores. It makes us feel happy."
