No matter where you live within the 50 U.S. states, the U.S. territories and the U.S. military bases around the world, Jesse Torres and his Balutan boxes can reach you free of shipping costs.
Torres, started his online business Balutanbox.com in 2006, deriving the name from the Chamorro word “balutan” meaning “to pack (food).”
“I lived in California and Oregon and realized that people from the Mariana Islands who move to the states sometimes want products that are only found in the Marianas,” Torres said. This inspired him to put up an online store not only to meet the needs of the people who already left the islands, but also to compete with online businesses from Guam.
“I was inspired by figuring out that it would not require much investment to start up. It also compliments my other business, Kagman Post Office, so it is very easy for me to deliver the balutan boxes,” Torres said.
He bought the domain name Balutanbox.com and started selling the products from suppliers on Saipan like hot peppers, pugua mahetok, lime, and ice keki.
For the past years, former residents of Saipan and Guam now on the West Coast such as California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, and Arizona maintain a steady order of local products, the most popular of which are the pugua, ice keki, and hot peppers.
Despite the increase in the prices of goods such as Spam, lemon powder and other imported products, and despite the increase in postal rates, Torres said they have managed to maintain steady their sales.
Balutanbox.com attracts over 10,000 visitors to the Web site each year, and they have a list of about 300 repeat customer contacts.
Peak months for orders of the local products are usually during the summertime which results to at least 30 orders per month.
As shipping is free, Torres said Balutanbox.com does not deliver yet to other parts of the world which are not considered U.S. rates to keep the operating costs of the business down.
Boost to economy
Torres said that online businesses like Balutanbox.com can help a lot in boosting the CNMI economy.
“Online businesses encourage exporting, which is what the NMI badly needs for economic prosperity,” Torres said.
He urges other entrepreneurs to take risks and open up businesses.
“We can produce and export many things like fish, shrimp, eggs, tropical plants and flowers, arts and crafts, and many others,” Torres said. He cited Pellegrino’s shrimp farm as proof that if people take risks by planning the right way, success can be attained.
“The CNMI needs more exports and less imports. This is the key to job creation and economic recovery,” Torres said.
Torres is urging any entrepreneur who wants to sell their products to customers abroad through his online business to email him at [email protected].
Available products
Balutanbox.com sells souvenirs such as Chamorro shotglasses, Mariana Island playing cards, aprons, letter holders, plastic placemats and arts and crafts. Also available are snacks like rice crackers, Saipan Ice Keki, chicharon, hot peppers locally made in Saipan, Tinian and Rota, drinks like Assam Black Tea, King Car and Hi-C lemon tea, canned goods such as lemon powder, tuna, chorizos and Spam, crab and navy biscuits, coconut oil, Japanese unshredded red ginger, Marianas Tropical Liqueur and Chamorro tuba, pugua and lime, Scotts slippers, clothing, Balutan music box which includes any album of Chamorro artists and other island artists.
You can also buy books such as “I Manmañaina-ta,” a book which features the ancient Chamorro chiefs from Guahan, Luta, Tinian and Saipan; the Chamorro Legends Biligual coloring book in Chamorro and English and the Chamorro Reference Grammar.
Balutanboxes are sent through priority mail and take 5-10 business days to arrive.
