Selling the ‘Philippine’ brand the easy way

He did not have a hard time selling the "Philippine" abroad. But he is not promoting tourism; he is selling processed fruits.

Justin S. Uy, president of Cebu-based Profood International Corp., started as a small-scale producer of dried mangoes in 1978 but it was not until 1983 when he began exporting little by little to the United States.

Today, Profood is present in 40 countries, selling 11 types of tropical fruits in various forms. It also supplies Nestlé, Del Monte, Coca-Cola, Pepsico and Asahi, among other multinationals.

But its No. 1 market is the US where its products have been distributed since 1997 in mainstream retail chains like Costco, Target, Safeway and Walmart.

Due to the financial crisis in 2009, sales to the US market dropped 10 percent but Uy said sales have recovered since and are in fact increasing.

Uy said the company is targeting to expand its reach to Eastern Europe and China.

Uy said Profood spent P200 million in 2009 to support capacity expansion, which now stands at 50,000 tons of fruits per day. Of the output, 95 percent is exported.

This year, prospects continue to be bright as Uy sees a 20 percent growth from the $50 million export receipts it chalked up in 2009.

Due to the large-scale operations, Profood has put up 30 buying stations all over the country from Ilocos Norte down to General Santos City, benefiting several thousands of farmers. Around 65 percent of Profood’s gross income benefits the rural areas. Today, Profood has 12 manufacturing plants in four sites -- Cebu, Bulacan, Iloilo and Davao.

During peak mango season, about 6,000 workers are employed by the plant.

Dried mangoes are the bestsellers among its products. Other fruits in its product basket include pineapple, guava, passion fruit, jackfruit, among others. These come in dried, pureed, concentrate, jams, jellies, ready-to-drink and other processed preparations.

Uy said Philippine mangoes are twice more expensive than those from Thailand and Vietnam but have definitely better quality.

With the "Philippines" as Profood’s brand, Uy said, "We want to promote the image that Philippine mangoes are the best."

Profood is the first and only mango processing company to achieve certifications such as ISO 9001:2008, HACCP, kosher and halal.

Uy is 2010 Agora awardee for outstanding achievement in entrepreneurship (large-scale).