They say that necessity is the mother of all inventions. For Fil-American TV commercial producer Romeo Joven, he wanted his food deliveries to arrive hot and fresh. This led him to explore available options – including the use of hot pouches by the US military.
“It started as a curiosity. I wanted to see how we can improve our dining experience. But there were too many steps to use the hot pouches. And because it involved heating water, there was the possibility that it could become dangerous,” Joven said.
“We wanted something more convenient, easier to use, and more fun for customers,” he added.
This led him to come up with Hotbox, a Filipino patented innovation that involves the very easy step of pulling a string to heat the food inside the box.
“With Hotbox’s steam technology, your food is hot within 5 minutes. There is also no rush to eat as your food continues to heat up to 30 minutes at over 80 degrees Celsius. Because of our technology, the food retains its original quality and texture. Our clients love the product because their food tastes like it is fresh from the stovetop or oven,” said Joven, now CEO of Hotbox Philippines.
He has since partnered with actors Piolo Pascual and Eric Quizon, who attest to the innovative way that Hotbox is bringing the world to everyone’s dining table.
“With Hotbox, you no longer have to deal with meals that have gone cold. All you need to do is pull, heat, and eat,” said Pascual, who described the innovation as a “game changer.”
“With Hotbox, I know that even when I am busy with my tapings on location, I will be able to have hot meals to power me through my next scenes,” he added.
The product was ready as early as 2019, but with the pandemic declared a year after, Joven’s team used the time to do market testing and tweaks, including coming up with different sizes to accommodate a wide range of food items.
In July 2020, Joven posted a photo of Hotbox, which caught the attention of a five-star hotel in Pasay City, and the rest, as they say, is history.
From luxurious hotels to restaurants to start-up cloud kitchens, Hotbox has become a reliable partner for delivering dishes that approximate the dining experience on-site.
“Our clients found our product to be a bridge between their restaurant and their customers. Hotbox elevates the dining experience, and the product is sustainable, too,” Joven said.
“We have premium boxes, and we have the super affordable bento box that is priced at P99, meal included. We can cater to a larger market because of our price range,” Joven added.
They have since expanded their product line – which now includes a pizza box – and are planning to enter the Visayas and Mindanao markets, as well as possible partnerships in the Middle East, Europe and Australia within the year.
For more information about Hotbox Philippines, visit www.hotboxph.com or follow their Facebook and Instagram accounts @hotboxphils