Meet the founders of Rebel Bakehouse: The Baguio bakery that has taken over Manila

Known among bakers to be volatile and sensitive to their environment, croissants—and pretty much all sorts of viennoiserie—are tricky to make, especially in our hot and humid weather. Why croissants, then? We ask Aldana. “I found the long and tedious (for some people) process worthwhile and engaging,” she says. “The science and technical aspects were a plus. So even if we were just baking 50 pieces per week as a side hustle, I was so happy. Through word of mouth, 50 became 100, which became 200, and so on. Back then, I thought, I guess we might be onto something.”

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The business kept growing, not only because of the products which were obviously well-made, but also due to their strong social media presence. Aldana gives Santos full credit, admitting that the “massive growth was all Danica’s doing.” Santos attributes their online popularity to both savvy manoeuvring as well as luck. “First, everyone was on Instagram in 2020,” she points out. “We started selling cheesecakes and croissants at a time when everyone was stuck at home and buying everything online.” Santos shares how she kept their Instagram content interesting and engaging, posting about their baking adventures and personally answering messages online. Aldana is also quite the amateur photographer ensuring that products are always beautifully styled and shot. “Our creative director, BJ, also comes up with unique campaigns with the help of local talent to elevate our products,” she adds.

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They also are grateful for the support of “credible food influencers” who rallied behind them, as well as their reels that have gone viral for reasons both good and bad. “For example, we gained tens of thousands of followers from the leche flan danish reel. And, by the way, gaining followers also means gaining haters. We received the most hate comments and gained followers from our Pride [Month] croissant reel that went viral and from a reel about making “croffles” (croissant waffles).”

At the end of the day, Santos admits that the product needs to always live up to the hype. In an ocean of local bakers offering the same product line that they do, they have to keep things interesting to set themselves apart. Aldana admits that nothing excites her more than getting the chance to change the line-up every few months. “Since we’ve opened, I’ve always been at my happiest when it’s R&D season,” she says. “I get to play and challenge our patrons’ favourites. Much to our patrons’ occasional dismay, we change our croissant line-up every few months. Even the best sellers. We just keep a few staples or classics that we believe should always be available.”

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Santos fully supports Aldana in her methods, calling her their “secret weapon.” Says Santos: “(Aldana) is happiest when she creates something that someone will enjoy. She also takes great pleasure in discontinuing a bestseller to work on it and release it again as a better version of the last one.” Every Pride Month, Rebel releases a new version of their limited edition croissants as an expression of individuality, the current one is a spiced chocolate s’mores flavour. Loyal customers might have been angered when they initially removed the favourite double chocolate croissant, but then it returned as the triple chocolate, and then the #4 choco that we all know and love.

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Santos shares that they will continue on this path of growth and innovation— changing the pastry menu twice a year, revamping the food menu to accommodate the more “adventurous” foodies,” and keeping their customers in the capita engaged through more pop-ups and adding more flavours in their commissary. A powerful theme for the brand, it seems, is the power to make a choice. Aldana and Santos made life-changing choices that brought them to this point in their personal histories, and it is something that they like to keep offering their customers even if at a much simpler capacity. 

Aldana shares a powerful message: “The law of conservation of energy states that ‘energy cannot be created nor destroyed. It just changes from one form to another.’ That’s one of the few things my primary science teacher taught us that I remember. This law keeps popping up everywhere, through my college days and even in medical school. So maybe it is only natural that pain or hurt can then transform into something different. As sentient beings, we have the capacity to choose. And during a difficult time in my life, I chose to transform pain into creative energy.” 

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