By Alithea De Jesus
The old adage from John Shedd, “A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for”, is something that probably Dave Bonachita carried in his heart even when he was actively sailing on the shore.
Dave, who is a licensed captain and has ventured waters for ten years. His point and sail include putting up a business. In 2018, being the head of the household, the captain of the ship decided to sail home for good.
With ample savings and investments, Dave turned sailing into squeezing. His desire of living a healthy lifestyle juiced him despite having no background in business doing.
Lemoneey and Tea is a fresh and bold company which is burdened by how people are having false belief about why they need to drink sodas offered in the market which are scientifically unhealthy and unbeneficial. For Dave, he wanted to help people understand that there is a better and healthier way than consuming commercially produced drinks.
In 2019, Dave enrolled to DTI’s Kapatid Mentor Me Program. The sailor of the business was able to navigate his business plan to help identify his destination. He was also able to attend a one-on-one Go Negosyo Mentorship activity where the mentors’ pieces of advice on licensing and legalities gave him affirmation and validated his mission.
Thru this realization, the business has continued to better sustainable consumerism. By offering a drink of freshly squeezed lemons infused with wild raw Honey & Tea w/ Superfood Add-ons, it is first in its kind in the country registered with Intellectual Property. It has also received local awards in the same year. Since then, the business has been invited to several events, concerts and public activities to include schools.
During the pandemic, the business remained relevant as a source of immune booster. Equipped with Good Manufacturing Practices and likewise trainings by DOST, the business has also widened its reach through social media and food delivery e-Commerce platforms quenching the thirst of home-based health freaks and consumers.
The sailor’s mission to anchor good health is sustained as Lemoneey and Tea also cater purely brewed Milktea w/ no High Fructose Syrup being used. After a long sail back home, Dave went from dropping anchors to squeezing lemons.
For orders and franchise, may reach them via their Facebook page: Lemoneey and Tea and thru e-Commerce delivery platforms such as GrabFood and FoodPanda. For more information on local products and produce proudly made from Cebu, visit DTI Cebu Facebook page.
