Our History
The TLC Story

During the 1950s through the late 1960s, Francisco Nicolas Sr. became one of the most successful and influential entrepreneurs in the Bicol Region. He established Nicfur Enterprise, which rose to become one of the country’s leading brands in the furniture business. This entrepreneurial success brought the Nicolas family economic prosperity, social recognition, and political influence both in the region and nationwide.

Growing up in this environment, Loida Nicolas and her siblings developed fond memories of Sorsogon, being exposed to a diverse circle of personalities — including political leaders and business figures who frequently visited their home.

While Francisco Nicolas Sr. was known for his sharp business acumen, his support for the Catholic Church and assistance to the less fortunate earned him admiration and respect. His example instilled in Loida a strong sense of civic responsibility. Inspired by his ambition for her to become a Philippine senator, she pursued legal studies at the University of the Philippines, where she graduated with a law degree in 1968.

Atty. Loida Nicolas’s political aspirations shifted when she visited the United States in the early 1970s. There, she met Atty. Reginald F. Lewis — an accomplished African American attorney and Harvard Law School graduate. He was captivated by her grace, confidence, and intelligence, and their relationship grew into a lifelong partnership, culminating in wedding ceremonies in both Manila and New York.

This chapter of Loida’s life marked not only a personal transformation, but the beginning of a shared commitment to education, philanthropy, and the advancement of communities on both sides of the world.

Reginald F. Lewis became a trailblazer as a self-made African-American financial magnate on Wall Street. In parallel, Atty. Loida Nicolas-Lewis achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Filipina to pass the American Bar Examinations, marking her as a pioneer in the legal profession.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, Reginald F. Lewis reached the peak of his business career, highlighted by his landmark acquisition of Beatrice International Holdings in 1987 — a major food manufacturing company serving markets across Europe. Recognized as one of the wealthiest and most influential African Americans of his time, he championed access to education for underprivileged African American communities.

His philanthropic work included donating millions of dollars to educational institutions, providing scholarship grants, and financing the construction of school facilities. He strongly believed in the power of education as a tool for progress and equality, and advocated for maximizing human potential by ensuring that everyone, regardless of financial or social status, had an opportunity to succeed.

His untimely passing in 1992 placed Atty. Loida Nicolas Lewis in the global spotlight as she assumed leadership of TLC Beatrice International as Chief Executive Officer. She carried forward his vision and went on to establish herself as a world-renowned Filipina entrepreneur, philanthropist, and socio-civic leader.