Sunday, July 22, 2012

HERE is a simple story of how a Cebuano dream came true.

Back in the 70s, when mountaineering was starting to become popular among Filipinos, a group of friends who loved the outdoors and were enthusiasts as well, decided to manufacture their own equipment.

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It started as something personal for this group of men. But the idea of actually doing it as a business inevitably arrived when their colleagues in the mountaineering community started noticing their personal gear and inquired about purchasing equipment from them.

With very small capital, struggling young architects Efren Junks Muaa, Randy Su and Dindo Sugatan formed Habagat Outdoor Equipment and set up shop in a borrowed garage in midtown Cebu City.

Habagat started out as a hobby and was initially intended for our personal use because, back then, it was rather difficult to acquire equipmentwith the market dominated by expensive foreign products that had to be imported through shipping, or with the help of friends who lived or traveled overseas, shared the men behind Habagat.

Truly, success did not come overnight for the company. The first models that the engineers personally designed, patterned and sewed were even done on an old sewing machine. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, a lot of people in the country todayespecially those inclined with the outdoor activitieshave the brand name etched automatically into their consciousness.

And to think this is a brand proudly conceived in Cebu City.

Habagat is one of the two or three companies that pioneered manufacturing outdoor gear and equipment in the country. But we definitely set the standard for quality through continuous research and innovation, and by having our products field-tested by athletes and outdoorsmen before we introduce them to the market.

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Sailing to success