I thought "Masterlicious" was just a strange name.
I was wrong.
When I first heard the story behind the brand, I thought the name must have been carefully planned.
It wasn't.
The first name they wanted was Agri Masters.
But it wasn't available.
So Melvin had to change it.
Then came the part I didn't expect.
His nickname in Amancion was Boss.
Boss → Master.
And "licious" came from delicious.
Masterlicious.
A name that sounds like it was invented in one sitting actually came out of a failed name, a nickname, and a little improvisation.
Then I looked around.
Two rooms.
BPI. BIR. DA. Certificates. Awards.
Suddenly, this wasn't just a funny food brand name anymore.
It was a small Filipino business that had already built a whole story around itself.
And somehow, between the certificates on the wall, spotting carabao and cows, and joking about “baka” meaning “stupid” in Japanese, we ended up laughing about the whole thing.
Almost three years in the Philippines, and I'm still learning how much I don't know.
I went looking for the story behind a name.
I left knowing the story behind the person who made it.
The next morning, back at IT Park, I boiled the cassava Melvin had given me in Catmon and ate it for breakfast. Salamat kaayo.
Still Learning.
Still Exploring.
One Filipino story at a time.
Melvin — "First, um enterprise name Agri is the uh... Agri Masters but when I was checking to DTI availability, the Agri Masters is not available so I changed it.
Me — "Ugly is literally UGLY?"
Melvin — "Yes... ah not ugly lol. From the word agriculture."
Me — "Ah lol."
Standing in a two-room processing facility, surrounded by BPI, BIR, and DA certificates, and awards, the joke stopped being the point.
A name that wasn't available, a nickname from a hometown, and one improvised syllable — that part really was that simple. But behind the story I could repeat back in five seconds was a stack of awards nobody laughs about, and a man who kept going anyway.
TThe name that sounded like a joke actually came from a name that wasn't available, a nickname, and a small business that already had the certificates and awards to show for it.
| Date | July 19, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Location | Corazon, Catmon, Cebu |
| Event Type | Small Business Origin Story |
| Access Method | Invited by a local contact (Melvin) |
| Food Featured | Masterlicious Foods Processed Cassava |
| Cost to Attend | Free (by arrangement) |
| Rarity | 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ — Distinct small-business origin story |
| Bayanihan Index | 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ — Personal, one-on-one invitation |
Whether every playful business name I run into here is hiding its own quiet effort, or whether Melvin's is the exception, is still something I don't know.