Social enterprise wants commuters to burn carbs, not carbon

Cycling is one of the most sustainable forms of transportation. It takes up minimal space on the road, requires no fossil fuels, and can be a good way to keep healthy.

- By YVETTE TAN

For husband and wife Tony and Inday Dans, both doctors and retired professors from the UP College of Medicine, cycling is also an advocacy. The couple owns Krebs Cycles, a bicycle shop located in a refurbished container van that sits opposite the College of Fine Arts in UP Diliman.

The shop is named after the Krebs cycle is "a biochemical pathway that converts glucose or carbs into energy," Dr. Tony explained. "I like it because... that's what biking is about. It's using carbs... instead of carbon [to move about], so one of our stickers says burn carbs, not carbon."

It was established in 2023, after Dr. Dans' retirement. A patient suggested that he start a business. Dr. Dans was skeptical at first, as he didn't consider himself a businessman, but the patient, who taught in AIM, was insistent. Since Dr. Dans had been biking since he was 10, and the Danses have been riding a tandem bike since 2003, the patient suggested turning their hobby into a business.

Aside from introducing the Danses to the concept of a social enterprise, whose main purpose is to help other people, the patient helped them set everything up, including finding their current location and employees, the latter veterans in the bike business.