The History of Sunshine Supermart, Inc.
In the early days of Baguio City, the Chinese immigrant community played a significant role in the city's development and business landscape, developing a close relationship with the early residents of the city. These enterprising Chinese businessmen were among the first merchants to open the dry goods and hardware stores, restaurants, inns, hotels and retail stores to serve the early settlers of Baguio.
Lueng Kwan Ling is remembered as one of the early pioneers in Baguio. In 1894, he came to the Philippines to work as a carpenter in Manila. In 1906, he joined the ranks of pioneers of "the Dream City" which was situated in the wilderness. He initially worked in the mines of this dream city and it was there he discovered his knack for business. This encouraged him to open a small store to cater to his co-employees' needs. His success was later tested when his store faced a robbery that resulted in the death of two laborers, and when a typhoon damaged his store.
Undaunted by his misfortunes, Kwan opened the Baguio Bakery in partnership with some American and Chinese partners. This partnership was however short-lived and dissolved when the bakery changed ownership and Leung Nang’s relatives took over. After this, the Baguio Grocery was born through a brand new partnership and the business continued to change for the better. In 1929, Kwan established the Mountain Supply, a combination of a bazar and a grocery. Only in a short time, he was able to expand his business to include hardware, and opened successful branches in Antamok and Atok Mines, to the point of almost monopolizing the business. It took another war to ruin his business assets.
When Lueng Kwan Ling died in 1944, his children continued the family business. Determined to perpetuate his name in the business field, they opened the Sunshine Bakery, a combination of bakery and grocery, in the site of the old Mountain Supply Store. Kwan was survived by his three daughters and a son who inherited his knack for business. It was Kwan’s son, Sunny who preserved the business, together with Sunny’s wife, Betty, and with the loyal assistance of his sister, Grace. In time, Sunny added the Hotel De Luxe on the second floor of the bakery-grocery. When he was alive and even now, Sunny is known as a “Chinese-Filipino citizen who is a counterpart of Baguio’s progress”.
Sunny’s children helped run and grow the business into what it is known today, Sunshine Supermart. Sunshine aslo franchised Magnolia Chicken Station and Monterey Meat Products to cater to the growing demand of it’s customers. Sunshine truly is the business that is “Laking Baguio, para sa lahat!”