From home kitchen to household name
Springing from the creativity and excellence of Go So Po, the Polland Hopia beloved by many began in a home kitchen at the heart of Manila. Go So Po hailed from a family of hopia makers. “Mrs. Po” as she is lovingly referred to by the people in her community, took after her father and became a skillful hopia maker. Mrs. Po established Polland Hopia in 1966, taking charge of the crafting and cooking of the two most famous variations of the snack, namely the hopia munggo and hopia baboy. For 10 years since the founding of the first Polland store, Mrs. Po only served hopia baboy and hopia munggo. The sweet and salty versions of the handmade Chinese snack remain popular to this day.
Food and art: Handmade goodness
Back then, hopia was sold in bakeries and through peddling or paglalako. Mrs. Po took care of the daily production of the beloved snack. Her husband, Tin Hai Siu, managed the branding of the small business. He created designs, murals, and other materials needed to boost the brand. The couple excelled at their respective crafts. He developed the original logo of their humble store. Over the years, through the triumphs and challenges of the business, the logo remains iconic. It is a significant part of the business’s history, albeit rather hidden as a piece of trivia usually expressed through stories by family and friends.
Innovation that upholds tradition
Polland Hopia employs modern technology to make handmade-like hopia to stay true to tradition, taste, and quality. Go So Po’s son, the current owner of Polland Hopia, is passionate about industrializing the process of making the snack to meet the demands of the market. Through his engineering expertise, he co-developed an efficient hopia- making machine that mimics the way handcrafted hopia tastes and feels like. To this day, Polland Hopia produces hopia that is flaky, flavorful, and generous in filling.
Outside of making hopia, Polland Hopia also produces other Chinese merienda and pasalubong such as tikoy and mooncake. It’s worth noting that the business is the first in the Philippines to offer vacuum-sealed tikoy for longer and safer shelf life. When first released, medical professionals appreciated the packaging, as it is hygienic and keeps the freshness of the Tikoy for much longer.
Polland’s commitment to excellence
Polland Hopia has been around since 1966 and strives to continue the legacy and tradition of excellence for generations to come. It has stayed with the local market through the many ups and downs and has pleased hopia-lovers from one generation to another. From the simple but classic flavors of hopia, it has expanded its offerings along with the growing palate of the community.
Its dedication to the real taste and texture of the Traditional Chinese Hopia makes it the top choice for food lovers, both old and new.