Our Story
From bread on bikes to a bakehouse beloved across the Philippines
From bread on bikes to a bakehouse beloved across the Philippines
Lea Apolonio never set out to become a baker. What started as an experiment with dough turned into a mission: to bring honest, well-crafted bread to the streets of San Juan, La Union.
Before there was a bakehouse, there were bikes. Masa began as a bread-on-bikes operation, with riders pedaling through neighborhoods selling pan de coco, Spanish bread, bichubichu, and kamote donuts to anyone who was hungry.
"It's an inconvenience to bake the good way, but we chose principle over profit."
Masa Bakehouse stands for something: no bleached flour, no instant yeast shortcuts, no cutting corners. Every loaf is made with active dry yeast and proper fermentation, the way bread was always meant to be.
When Lea saw how mass-produced bread dominated Filipino tables, she knew something had to change. The #StopBadBread movement became Masa's rallying cry, a call to choose real bread over the processed alternative.
Today, Masa employs primarily young mothers from the community, many without prior work experience. For Lea, it was never just about bread. It was about building something honest, something good.
The bread-on-bikes grew into a beloved bakehouse in a converted warehouse on Costales Street in San Juan, La Union. With rattan furniture, lush plants, and the ever-present smell of fresh bread, it became a destination for surfers, travelers, and locals alike.
Masa later expanded with its sister restaurant Barefoot, where the team could serve food they truly love to cook and eat, always paired with their bread. From La Union, they brought their bakes to El Nido, Palawan, spreading the gospel of good bread even further.
The OG Mamas of Masa, the original team who have been with the bakehouse for nearly a decade, remain the heart and soul of everything that comes out of the oven.
No bleached flour, no artificial preservatives. We use active dry yeast and allow proper fermentation for every batch.
We hire locally, train eagerly, and believe in giving opportunity to those who need it most, especially young mothers in our community.
No trends for the sake of trends. We serve food we genuinely love to cook and eat, paired with bread we are proud to bake.