MERCO STORY
Two cousins, Anselmo Ferrazzini and Anselmo Shotwell migrated to Davao in the early month of 1946 to seek their fortune in this fabled place called the “Land of Promise”. Liking what they saw, they bought a piece of property in what was then known as Acacia. Merco is an acronym of Mercantile Corporation of Davao. It started as a trading store of all sorts of merchandise from cigaret
tes to paints to canned goods, soft drinks, ice creams & more. Until sometime in 1953, Anselmo Ferrazzini and wife Connie started the chiffon cake business. The chiffon we sell today is still the same chiffon baked in 1953. The demand for cakes was increasing therefore, introduced more varieties to satisfy the gastronomic needs of the Dabawenyos. The first store at Acacia Street then was totally burned to ashes in May, 1959. However this tragedy did not stop the Ferrazzinis to rebuild Merco. Armed with experienced, Anselmo Ferrazzini re-established Merco this time in Claveria now known as C.M. This time, the concept of Merco also changed from a general merchandise store to a refreshment parlor where one could choose from a variety of ice cream preparations, sandwiches and cakes. To date, the Merco family is still growing with outlets but with another concept – the take-out counters in convenient locations to be able to serve the people of Davao better. We at MERCO have dedicated ourselves to providing Dabawenyos with quality products and services with the “homely” touch and MERCO will continually do so far into the new millennium.
