For John Marcelo, a former professional race car driver turned businessman, raising the Filipino flag has always been deeply ingrained.
It’s a legacy shaped by a family rooted in motorsports. His father once raced Formula cars across Asia, while his late brother, Jovy, competed in the prestigious Indianapolis 500 in the U.S.—the American counterpart to Formula 1.
That racing lineage continues with John’s son, Stefano, a four-time Philippine Karter of the Year and a two-time overall Asian champion.
Eventually, John steered away from racing and shifted into business, supplying alternative sugar and ice-cream products to a well-known brand.
Most recently, he embarked on another venture: An ice-cream brand that bears his family’s name, Marcelo’s Microcreamery, and more importantly, reflects Filipino culture.
To stand out among the products available in the market, he came up with an unconventional line-up of uniquely Filipino ice cream flavors.
Instead of traditional dairy milk, Marcelo’s Microcreamery uses coconut milk or “gata,” which is a staple ingredient in many traditional dishes like laing, bicol express, and ginataang gulay.
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THE BEGINNING OF MARCELO'S
One time, John recalled, he just finished a bowl of champorado and then headed to the grocery store to buy items.
When he reached the ice cream aisle, he noticed how predictable the flavors were—Rocky Road, vanilla, chocolate, and ube.
This moment sparked for what he called an “Aha moment”: Why not come up with ice cream flavors that speak of Filipino heritage?
He went home with his idea still growing and set out to adapt Filipino desserts into ice cream flavors, eventually creating Inutak, Mangga’t Suman, Latik Latik, Ube Macapuno Champorado, Bilo-Bilo, and Chocolate Champorado.
The first to try his creations were his churchmates, who remarked that John’s ice cream instantly transported them back to their childhood.
It was an encouraging sign that his idea had real potential.
MARCELO'S IS MORE THAN JUST ICE CREAM
In a sit-down interview with PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal), John said it was not difficult for him to pursue his business idea, as he already had experience in the ice cream industry.
The main challenge, he explained, was developing a line that offered something new.
“So that's why we went for something different, something Filipino. And so like I said kanina, all the supermarkets were all typical flavors. And so we decided to be proud of our heritage of Filipino.”
Although an experienced businessman, John admitted that he still felt jitters when taking risks.
“In putting up businesses, talagang lakas ang loob 'cause you don't know if it's gonna do well and all that, and is such an investment. But I just prayed about it and trusted [God].
“But since we knew about ice cream already, it was not that hard, as compared with if we didn't know it from scratch.
“The hard part was finding the right flavors to make for something new, something that's not just the run-of-the-mill, but as something completely different.
“And plus there's a big drive nowadays for health, so we decided to use, why don't we use coconut? Because coconut is very neutral. Almost everyone can take coconut.
"So unlike milk, there's a lot of people that are lactose [intolerant]. But we also do have a milk line that will be coming up pretty soon.”
He confirmed, “On the five flavors, there's no milk except for the chocolate champorado. It has milk, condensed milk.”
In addition to the Chocolate Champorado, Marcelo’s offers another dairy-based flavor: Pistachio Kunafa Chocolate, a collaboration with Chef Nouel Catis, the Filipino innovator behind the Dubai Chocolate.
John also proudly highlighted that their production facility is Halal-certified, ensuring that all their products comply with Islamic law.
“So we can serve the Middle East countries as well as a lot of the markets in Davao.”
Presently, Marcelo’s ice cream products are available in Landers, Shopwise, The Marketplace, and some Robinsons outlets.
John added that they are also pushing for hotel and restaurant partnerships, which is what they did with Romulo Cafe.
Regarding pricing, the businessman said their products fall on the premium side.
He explained that they really use the actual ingredients of the kakanin or Filipino desserts in their ice cream.
“That's why it's kind of costly to make. I said, let's not skip on any ingredients. Let's not make it flavors. Let's really make it with the real stuff. That's why it's kind of pricey.”
His long-term goal is to make Marcelo's available in supermarkets, hotels, and restaurants.
“And, hopefully, be able to export it around the world where there's a lot of OFWs,” he said.
He explained why he wants to bring this product to Filipinos abroad.
“It's because that's the main reason why we developed it this way. It’s because most of our OFW workers, they miss their families, they miss being home, and they miss the food.
“So, at least, if they have that pint that reminds them of their childhood, the kakanin, it somehow brings them home and warms their heart.
“Like the minute you take a bite of it, you don't have to figure out what it is. Instantly it hits a memory and you know, ‘Ah, I had this when I was a child,’ and I can relate to it right away. And right away, there's that connection.”
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