Mercato Centrale Group, the country’s leading food and lifestyle market, has partnered with De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) to launch micro-certification courses designed to upskill micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippine food sector.
The upcoming program offers short courses focused on food business management, marketing strategies, financial literacy, and culinary innovation. These will be developed by Mercato Centrale’s entrepreneurship platform and Benilde’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM).
The program will be open to home-based food vendors, market stall owners, and individuals entering the food business. It aims to equip both new and experienced entrepreneurs with the knowledge and tools to run sustainable, growth-driven ventures.
The partnership was formalized with a memorandum of understanding signed on March 26, 2025, at the Vatel Restaurant on the CSB campus. Present at the signing were RJ Ledesma and Vanessa Ledesma of Mercato Centrale, DLS-CSB Chancellor Benhur Ong, SHRIM Dean Marie Paz Castro, and Vice Chancellor for Academics Angelo Marco Lacson.
“Almost 99.5% of businesses in the Philippines are MSMEs, and a large number of them are in the food industry,” said RJ Ledesma, co-founder of Mercato Centrale. “Our mission has always been to champion local food entrepreneurs by providing them with the right platform and support. Through this partnership with CSB, we’re taking that commitment further by giving MSMEs access to quality education and training—tools that can help them sustain and grow their businesses. With what we’ve built at Mercato, we have a real opportunity to contribute to making these businesses more sustainable. This initiative also reflects our Lasallian mission of service.”
The partnership includes academic and industry-focused initiatives such as student internships across Benilde’s hospitality and entrepreneurship programs, micro-credentialed courses tailored to industry needs, and immersion trips for faculty and staff to better understand food business operations.
Mercato and CSB will also host data analytics workshops and seminars based on Mercato’s market experience, offering insights into consumer behavior and food trends. Students will work on project-based learning modules and receive mentorship support to bridge classroom learning with real-world application.
Watch the video highlights of this groundbreaking initiative:
This collaboration signals a strong move toward experience-driven, accessible education for the next generation of Filipino food entrepreneurs.
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