Welcome to our latest St. Pierre’s partner feature!
Today we’re in Onekawa, a suburb of Napier, visiting Francisco. He’s now the shop partner there, but he has a fascinating back story! Originally from the Philippines, Francisco has been in NZ for 11 years.
“In 2012 I came to New Plymouth to live with my father for six months. A relative lived in the Hawke’s Bay and I got a job as a caregiver there, so I moved to Napier. I love the lifestyle here, and after three years in that job I decided to upskill, and enrolled at Eastern Institute of Technology to study IT.”
Then, an interesting twist started his journey at St. Pierre’s.
“I was looking for a part-time job and a friend told me about St. Pierre’s. He gave me an introduction to Hiromi, the Hastings partner – but said I was looking for full-time work! In the interview, Hiromi asked to check if I could work full time. It was the first I’d heard about a full-time position, but I didn’t want to embarrass my friend, so said of course!”
“That moment put me on the path to a partnership here – but I kept it secret from Hiromi for years! I think I can talk about it now though!”, Francisco says with a laugh.
Francisco is very proud that he is the first Bento Bowl manager to have become a partner. (And although he doesn’t advertise it, he won the Specialty Manager of the Year title in 2018. Check out his photo in the Hall of Fame!) Once the Onekawa shop plan was confirmed, he jumped at the opportunity, but it was not easy.
“I had three months of sushi business training while still helping on the bento side – I couldn’t just let the new bento manager work everything out for himself. It was really hard work, but I believe in doing what you do well, leaving no loose ends. Thanks to Hiromi’s training and the support of his team and my new team, I was ready.”
The Onekawa shop opened on 23 September 2021, and was quickly a huge success, leading to Francisco being offered a full partnership in November 2022. Francisco credits his success to strong personal motivations: Family and faith.
“The Philippines is a very Catholic country, and I believe that everything I have achieved is thanks to the Lord’s favour. I believe that if you work hard for your family, good things will come to you. My goal was to become a partner for the benefit of my family, both of my wife and son, but also our shop whānau. We are all in this together.”
In fact, Francisco met his wife working at Hastings Bento Bowl, so his connection to the Hawke’s Bay is strong indeed. His focus and clarity of vision continue to inspire his Onekawa team and everyone around him.
“I believe in the power of prayer, in hard work and in supporting each other. Above all, everything we have is thanks to God’s blessings. Through the Lord, if we have passion and work towards our goals, we can achieve anything.”
Francisco is justifiably proud of his journey and achievements, and the lifestyle he has built for his family. At St. Pierre’s, we’re proud to have amazing people like him on our team! We have a strong culture of being “people first”, supporting each other as we set challenging goals. Next time you’re in Napier, drop by to say hi to Francisco – and here’s to everyone across the St. Pierre’s Group aiming high!
