"Cereals are the health and fitness staple now. People have learned the essence of eating the right kind of food and having a healthy lifestyle. They also look for healthy options," health buff Charlene "Shao" Falcis said.

Charlene, however, pointed out that students, as well as professionals, tend to neglect healthy food intake because of their busy schedules. They just grab whatever food they can get, and eat on the run.

With this challenge, Charlene and her friends Crissy Balatbat, Tanya Tabucal, Lester Fuentes, Andrew Varona, and Trina Ronas opened a food outlet that offers quick cereal meals, "Cerealicious."

"During our visit to the US, we noticed how people love to eat cereals every day. Then we rembered that Filipinos are also fond of cereals. So we thought, ‘Why not put up a food outlet where they can indulge this fondness?’ But we wanted to incorporate local ‘flavors’ to suit the Filipino taste," said Shao.

In 2005, they started conceptualizing their pet business — from the shop’s location, floor layout to the menu, etc. After a year of planning, their first "Cerealicious" outlet opened at the UST Parking Complex,near the university hospital and the College of Education building, despite the skepticism.

"Since it’s a new concept, many were skeptical. They say it is just a fad, and it will fade sooner or later," said Shao.

Although they have proven skeptics all wrong, people became interested in their products, Shao and her friends still have to overcome the "cereal- is- for- breakfast only" thinking.

"People associate the word ‘cereals’ with breakfast, and that is what we intend to change. We want to educate people on cereals and their health benefits. People need to know that cereals are not just for breakfast. They can be a starter meal, a merienda dish, an after-dinner snack, or dessert!" said Charlene.

Slowly, the group succeeded in achieving their vision of developing the potential of cereals as an alternative meal, and providing a venue where people can eat healthy food while having fun.

Since their store is located in a university area that has a big community — think hospital, church, school, it is easier for them to target their market, composed of the youth,13–21 years old, mostly students.

"We are surprised because our market base is composed of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals," Charlene said.

She added: "The store is busy around 11 a.m. and 12 noon. Customers hang around here until lunch time. Then, between 4 and 6 p.m., it’s merienda with friends. Of course, in the morning, students would buy cereals here and take them to their classes. I guess, people are starting to make cereal-eating a good habit."

Coined from the words "cereal" and "nutritious/delicious," "Cerealicious" is a haven for those who can’t get enough of cereals because it offers 40 different brands of cereal such as Kellog’s, Lucky Charms, Nestle, General Mills, Quaker, Post, Cheerios, among others.

"One can take in a lot of cereals because they are healthy. They have fiber, good for long life. They also provide carbohydrates that keep a person on the go all day long. They have less fat, sugar, and sodium which make them good alternatives for chips, fries, and other junk food," said Charlene.

However, she admitted that not all cereals can be consumed in a big portion. Some cereals are fiber-inadequate and too sweet, "but it doesn’t mean they are not healthy. They are still healthier than chips."

Charlene described their products as "cereal meals with a twist." They don’t offer "cereals in a box" which are usually sold in the grocery stores.

"We grew up with the cereals usually packed in a box. These boxes contain only one kind of cereal, which might become boring in time. These cereals are what we often eat at home, with milk. At ‘Cerealicious,’ people can try different cereals in one serving. Plus, they can choose toppings they can put on top," said Charlene.

Toppings include fruits (mango, banana, apple, pineapple, melon), nuts (cashew, almonds) dried product (banana chips, dried mango, raisins), chocolate (Butterfinger, Kitkat, chocolate peebles, choco kisses, chocnut), cookies (Chips Ahoy, Graham, Stick– O, Oreo), mallows, jell–O, among others.

Customers can choose between create–your–own menu or the cereal blockbusters.

"Some people want to be creative with their food, so they opt for create–your–own menu. It’s like smorgasboard. Cereal lovers can mix and match up to three kinds of cereals. They can put different toppings as much as they like — as long as they fit the container — or they can add ice cream if they want," said Charlene.

The base (cereal with milk) costs R45–65, depending on what kind of cereals; the toppings, R15–20; ice cream, R10 per scoop; and, yogurt, R20.

Customers who don’t want to ‘think’ anymore can choose among the cereal blockbusters (named after movies), priced at R40 for a thriller cup, and R85 for the blockbuster bowl.

They can try Apple–o 13 (Fitnesse cereal, apple, almond, maple with cinnamon), named after Apollo 13; Jumango (cornflakes, mango noney crumble with strawberry syrup), from Jumangi; Charlie n’ the Chocnut Factory; Oreo and Juliet; Banana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Fitness cereals, banana, raisin with honey); Jelly MacGuirre; Nutting Hills (Koko Crunch, choco kisses, nuts, mallows with chocolate syrup), among others.

"We named the cereal blockbusters as such to inject some humor to our menu and make the cereal experience fun and exciting. It’s part of the marketing. Some customers buy food because of the name, and they always choose the funniest or weirdest names," Charlene added.

Aside from the varieties of toppings and cereals offered, what makes their products unique is the milk.

"The secret to a fulfilling cereal meal is the milk. We use our own milk concoction which makes our cereal meals cold, refreshing, and fun to eat," Charlene said with a smile.

Customers can choose either fresh milk or low- fat milk.

Another must-try is the cereal smoochies, a drink made from crushed cereal which costs R95. Try their banana twist, peanut butter brownie, berry mango and choco choco smoochies.

Charlene assured their customers that they are served only the crispiest and heartiest cereals in town because they get them straight from the factory, so to speak.

"We have a tie up with Nestle and Kellogs. They provide us with all the cereals we need. That is also the reason why our prices are low," Charlene proudly said.

"Nestle and Kellogs do believe in our vision. Plus, our store is one of the best channels for them to hit their target market," she added.

Charlene believes that cereals don’t only energize people, but they make people happy, and she expressed the hope to spread happiness through a bowl of cereals at their store.

Only in its eighth month of operation, "Cerealicious" has already expanded. Charlene and her friends opened carts/ kiosks called "Cereal Crazy" at the Greenhills Theater Mall. They also opened another in–line store (with dining area) on Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila, near De La Salle University.

"Success means believing in the product, in the business. We draw our strength from the quality of our products, good services of our staff, and the potential of the business. That’s the sweet smell of success," Charlene said.