Rachel Anne Daquis is back in the PVL with a new team, Farm Fresh, and she’s also helping to manage a booming business in Spain—a bakery affectionately called "Forn de Manila."
Rachel Anne Daquis is among the biggest names in Philippine volleyball history.
But after years of success on the taraflex, RAD decided to try on a different challenge in life—opening the first Filipino bakery in Barcelona, Spain earlier this year.
While many believed that Daquis may have been done with volleyball with the success of her new venture, the veteran spiker surprised everyone by making herself available in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Even more surprising, the bombshell announcement that marked her return was her leaving Cignal and signing with the Farm Fresh Foxies, marking a true new era in an already-colorful career.
[RELATED: Jovelyn Gonzaga shares love for Rachel Anne Daquis as #GonzAquis bond endures | Off the Record]
In another edition of Off the Record, Daquis shares her reasoning behind starting her own bakery in Spain and why she decided to come back to volleyball with a fresh franchise.
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One Sports: Rachel, what made you decide to go into baking and start your own bakery in Spain?
Rachel: Why bakery? Kasi 'yung tita Narisa ko and tita Arlene ko from Barcelona, talagang nagsu-supply na sila ng bread mostly sa mga Asian stores sa Barcelona.
So, dumating sa point na alam mo 'yun, bigla kaming nagkaroon ng chance na magkaroon ng puwesto, so ginrab na namin 'yung opportunity na makapag-patayo ng first Filipino bakery sa Barcelona.
One Sports: How difficult was the process of setting up your own bakery in Barcelona?
(RAD has fully embraced her 'Baker Queen' persona through Forn De Manila in Barcelona, Spain)
Rachel: Actually, sabi namin kay Lord, pag para sa amin, para sa amin. So, naging smooth siya. Hindi kami masyado nahirapan and everything went well kaya hindi naman siya ganun kahirap and para samin talaga.
One Sports: Why did you decide to come back to volleyball and why Farm Fresh of all the PVL teams?
Rachel: Siguro I was actually surprised din na makakabalik ulit ako [sa volleyball] kasi talagang bumalik din ako to study [baking] para ma-improve 'yung services namin and products namin sa Forn de Manila.
[RELATED: Call her the ‘Baker Queen’: Rachel Anne Daquis continues her baking adventures in the Philippines]
But then I was given an opportunity lalong-lalo na ng Lao Family, 'yung manager ko, and 'yung Farm Fresh kaya nandito ako.
Why Farm Fresh? Siguro God led me here. Meron pa siyang mission, so hindi pa ako tapos sa mission ko sa volleyball. Siguro para din, alam mo 'yun, mag-set ako ng example sa mga bata na 'yun na 'yung susundan nila.
(After helping establish Cignal's volleyball identity, Rachel Anne Daquis hopes to do the same with Farm Fresh in her PVL return)
Hindi naman kailangan na parang nandiyan ako. 'Oh, talagang si ate Rachel kailangan natin, babad natin.' Siguro 'yung contribution ko diyan is 'yung impact kung paano ma-build 'yung character nila.
Siguro sa Cignal, confident ako na nabigay ko na 'yun, kumbaga na-mold ko na sila kung sino sila. Ngayon naman, binigay ako ni Lord sa Farm Fresh para tulungan 'yung mga bata.