US-Based Ventura Foods Expands to Philippines, Asia
Pacific Region
If you
go to a restaurant in the United States there is a good chance that you would
be eating a Ventura foods product.
Ventura
Foods is a leading manufacturer of custom and branded oil, shortening,
margarine, mayonnaise, sauce and dressing in the United States. The company
currently supplies many Quick Service and Fast Casual Restaurants in the United
States and many other countries around the world. Ventura has since expanded to
the Philippines to cater to the ever growing needs of the industry here and the
rest of the Asia-Pacific Region. This is welcome news to the food service and
restaurant industry, which is experiencing robust growth, and demands high
quality products to offer a public with increasingly discriminating tastes.
Ventura held a successful exhibit at the recently concluded WOFEX (World Food
Expo) in August 2016 at the World Trade Center Manila where clients were able
to sample the kind of products the company can offer.
 |
Ribbon Cutting ceremony
during the opening of WOFEX 2016 last August 3, 2016. (L-R) Anton de los Santos - Sales and Marketing Director – Export Division; Vincent Lao – Managing Director, Oleo Fats
; Yann Kervoern - President, International Ventura Foods;
Glenn Lobo - Director of
International Operations – Asia Pacific, Ventura Foods; Baven Chin – Sales Director – APAC; and Francis Tan – Director for Sales and Marketing, Local Division.
|
What
makes Ventura Foods different from other companies in the CPG (Consumer
Packaged Goods) category is that customization is their specialization.
“Two-thirds of our business is food service. We are first and foremost a food
service organization. We do have a retail business and an industrial business
as well, but food service is our primary focus,” says Yann Kervoern, President
of Ventura International. “We don't make one product that we sell to everybody.
We try to understand everybody's different needs and tailor to their requirements.”
Asia-Pacific
was a natural choice in deciding where to expand the company. "One reason
why we're here is that our key clients have approached Ventura USA because we
are the primary supplier of sauces and dressings for these major companies,” says
Glenn Lobo, Director of International Operations for the Asia-Pacific
region.“They reached out to us and said, ‘Hey, can you help us make sure our
sauces are standardized across the globe?’” It has been the practice of QSR
chains that expand globally to use local suppliers in many markets. They had to
make do with what’s available because importing those same sauces from the US
would be too costly, which would result in a less price competitive end
product.
To be
competitive in terms of pricing and quality, the company established a strong
local partnership with Oleo-Fats Inc., which consists of the production and
marketing of products not just for the Philippine market but also for export
throughout the Asia Pacific region, and even the Middle East. “In the region we
know we will be tariff and duty friendly and cost competitive, but the same
time to be able to make our customer and their customers happy that what
they're eating is something similar to what they'll be eating at when they're
in the US or anywhere else,” explains Lobo.
The high
quality of their products is something the company banks on making them stand
out. “The formulation of sauces, dressing and mayonnaise are based on the ones
made in the United States,” informs Kervoern. For instance, Ventura makes their
real mayonnaise with real eggs vs powdered eggs. This is an important detail
because it is a signifier of the conditions of the manufacturing site. “If you
only use powder, it could mean you are not able to handle fresh products and
not handle them safely in your facility because it’s harder,” says Lobo.“Being
able to process fresh ingredients means you have a quality environment. It’s
more difficult operationally requiring more stringent conditions.”
Already,
this strict adherence to standards is getting an enthusiastic response from
clients and potential customers. “Compared to other imported products from
other countries, our quality is a lot better,” says Anton de los Santos, Sales
and Marketing Director of Oleo-Fats.
“We've already received feedback from major QSR chains sourcing their
products from Asia-Pacific producers and they're saying Ventura’s quality is
very good. They are the gold standard.”
Apart
from bringing their obvious expertise to the Asia-Pacific market, Ventura
recognizes that the region and the countries in it have their own unique flavor
profile that may not always match those in the United States. “We have the
ability to adjust tastes to consumer preferences for every country in the
region,” says Kervoern. The Ventura
produced real mayonnaise for the Philippine market, for instance, is sweeter
than mayonnaise they produce elsewhere because this is in line with consumer
preference. They plan to take the same
approach to the rest of their market. “Taste is important, but in our market of
sauces, dressings, mayonnaise and margarine, texture and mouthfeel are other
components that are equally just as important,”Kervoern explains.The experience
in the US means the company’s area of expertise in products that specialize in
both taste and mouthfeel is vast.
This
combination makes them a formidable presence in the industry. “We have the
know-how, technical capability, quality systems, the production capabilities to
delight our customers, and we try to remain fleet-footed and agile in terms of
being able to respond to market trends and customer demands,” says de los
Santos. Ventura’s presence in the region is growing, and with local production
capabilities, they can only expect continued momentum that’s set to match the
booming growth in various related and complementary industries such as tourism
and casual dining.
Ventura
Foods and Oleo-Fats, Inc. office address is at #5 Mercury Avenue, Bagumbayan,
Quezon City 1110 Philippines or visit the official website at www.venturafoods.com.
You may contact them directly at (02) 709 6536 or (02) 635 0680.
About Ventura Foods:
Ventura Foods is the leading manufacturer of custom and
branded dressings, sauces, mayonnaise, oils, shortenings, margarines, bases and
pan coatings for the foodservice, retail and ingredient manufacturing
industries in over 60 countries. They
offer customers a full-range of meal solutions including retail brands that
benefit greatly from their culinary expertise and strength in foodservice. The
privately owned company was formed in 1996 as a joint venture between Mitsui
& Co. of Japan and CHS, a global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers
and cooperatives across the United States with diversified interests energy,
grain and food.
About Oleo-Fats:
Oleo-Fats, Inc. was established in 1987 and has since
grown to become the leading manufacturer of specialty food oils and ingredients
in the Philippines. The company has a
strong presence in various food industries – bakery & snack food, dairy,
biscuits, confectionery, local and international restaurant chains, and
catering services.
Oleo-Fats,
Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of publicly listed D&L Industries, Inc.,
a dynamic industrial group founded in 1963. Over the years, the group has
evolved from a trader of chemicals into a diversified manufacturer and supplier
of innovative products, growing successfully to become a market leader in the
industries it serves.
