In celebration of Women’s Month, Nutricraft co-founder Miss Judith Viado recently joined Doctor Iris Radev of The Filipino Success Movement to share her life story and how she started Nutricraft Cookware, and what it means to be a Filipino entrepreneur making waves in the world.
Judith’s success journey was an uphill climb.
She wasn’t born with a silver spoon. Being the eldest among her siblings, Judith had to sacrifice a lot of things. This meant having to set her dreams aside so her siblings could also have an education, which later pushed Judith to move to Australia in 1995.
Things didn’t start easily when she moved to Australia, but Judith knew that if she wanted to have a better life, she couldn’t rely on anyone else but herself. She was working in aged care and washing dishes on the side. She would even walk everywhere because, at the time, she didn’t have a car.
She then started working more jobs and utilizing a lot of free resources provided by the Australian government. She would sign up to free seminars, read free reading materials, and eventually sign up to free educational programs. She was balancing studying, working 2 to 3 jobs at the time, and continuously volunteering to take care of the blind. Before she knew it, she finished her diplomas in Accountancy and Financial Services, without spending a cent. With her goal of always putting her family first, she was able to help her family in the Philippines put up multiple businesses, including a video rental shop and a restaurant.
Life may not have been easy, but Judith surely didn’t let her past conquer her present. She made sure that she didn’t succumb to each challenge that life threw at her. Even after starting her own family, life didn’t get easier. Her family life consisted of plenty of trips to the hospital because her husband and children had a number of consistent health complications.
This forced her to put her background in biology to good use. Factor in having an inquisitive nature that resulted in about 15 years worth of research which narrowed down the culprit for Judith’s family’s health issues—their cookware.
This is where Nutricraft Cookware’s story started.
It was born at 3 am, between a conversation with Judith and her husband over losing interest in her previous businesses. Considering their family’s medical history and the amount of research they did, Judith and her husband started Nutricraft Cookware in 2019 with an advocacy to share with the world. She wanted the world to know that she’s not just here to sell cookware; she’s here to educate people about the benefits of non-toxic cooking.
In just a matter of two years, Judith has easily reached the point of saying no to possible distributors. She reiterates that her journey hasn’t been easy, but it has allowed her to learn so much. Her advice to fellow Filipino entrepreneurs is to do everything in goodness and kindness. Once you start doing that, good things are going to come your way. It also doesn’t hurt to get yourself a mentor to help you rise.
Judith is also a firm believer that you shouldn’t be scared to look back and give back. She’s always looking out for her family and making sure no one gets left behind. When the pandemic started, Judith and her husband weren’t just looking out for their own family’s welfare. They were also looking after their families in the Philippines. Judith and her husband were sending regular allowances to their families in the Philippines so they could survive the pandemic as well.
It’s never an easy road once you build a brand from scratch, but when you do, tons of research and a great support system are always two things that will never fail you.
