Nearly P2M pledged for aid over the holidays, with re-electrification efforts underway.

 The Aboitiz Group, through its corporate foundation Aboitiz Foundation and AboitizPower geothermal unit AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI), has allotted P1.8 million to supply much-needed relief items to families in Tiwi, Albay affected by Typhoon Nina over the holiday season.

 This amount was used to provide canned goods, rice, and water for 4,740 families who represent 60% of APRI-Tiwi’s host barangays. Also distributed by APRI-Tiwi were The Care Packages, developed by Aboitiz food business unit Pilmico, which contain 100-gram high-energy biscuits loaded with 450 kilocalories (equivalent to one full meal) each, designed as an efficient disaster relief solution that not only addresses hunger but provides adequate nutrition via a sustainable food supply. This is in addition to the P500,000 worth of The Care Packages donated by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. to Mindoro via the Office of the Vice President, and the 10 rice sacks donated by AboitizLand to San Juan, Batangas.

 Meanwhile, AboitizPower Distribution Utilities Group also organized five gangs (two each from Visayan Electric Co., Inc. and Davao Power & Light Co., Inc., respectively and one from Subic EnerZone Corporation, including a boom truck) to undertake priority power restoration to APRI-Tiwi and surrounding communities.

 “Despite the devastation caused by Typhoon Nina, the Aboitiz Group has committed to provide a bit of holiday cheer and goodwill for our partner communities in Tiwi, Albay. We hope this assistance will allow them to welcome the New Year with optimism and joy,” Maribeth L. Marasigan, First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

 The Aboitiz Foundation is an organization of compassionate service, one that can be counted on to provide assistance to those in need as part of its thrust to promote Health & Well-Being for a BetterWorld. In 2015, the Foundation provided essential relief packs to 4,669 families affected by typhoons throughout the year, with 114 team member volunteers nationwide.

Pilmico Foods Corporation, the food business unit of the Aboitiz Group, recently conducted a product demonstration and facilitated the creation of a supply chain by linking small baking businesses to YL Summit Traders, a local supplier of Pilmico products in Davao City. This ensures access of these small baking shops to stable and quality supplies for their baking needs. These small baking shops are owned by the community-based cooperatives (coops) in Davao City, and are assisted by the Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group.

The activity was attended by 25 participants of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority National Certificate II Training and Certification on Baking and Pastry. After the training and certification, the participants will be hired by their own coop baking shops as bakers and workers, while others will establish their own small bakeshops. The coops can also sell baking supplies to their individual members.

As a result of the activity, the coops and YL Summit Traders intend to hold another consultation meeting where ordering and terms of future transactions will be discussed.

“The Aboitiz Group is committed to providing a good foundation for entrepreneurs to make their mark in their respective businesses. We hope we are able to help our partners in Davao gain access to quality supplies with this training,” Maribeth L. Marasigan, Aboitiz Foundation First Vice President, said.

As part of its Enterprise Development for a #BetterWorld campaign, the Aboitiz Foundation has been assisting small enterprising organizations across the country earn additional income by providing them access to income-generating activities and livelihood opportunities. It also provides assistance in the form of trainings and seminars to partner organizations—on various topics such as management, basic cooperative course, cooperative management and governance, cooperative standards, entrepreneurial and business management, financial management, parliamentary procedure, records management, and rules formulation–to ensure that they gain the necessary skills in making their projects successful and sustainable. This, in turn, supports one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically on Decent Work and Economic Growth (Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all).

Dante of Nueva Ecija is in the business of making the infamous delicacy, “balut” and another Pinoy favorite, “itlog na maalat”. He has been a consistent Pilmico user and is very happy with the quality of his eggs. Dante shares:

“Base sa aking experience, maganda po ang itlog kapag ginagamit nila ay Avemax Duck Layex 1.  Malalaki pa po ang itlog, maganda ang kulay ng egg yolk at masasabi ko na mas matibay ang shell niya kung ikukumpara sa ibang feeds. Mahalaga ito sa negosyo ko kasi hindi agad-agad nababasag ang itlog.”

Whenever he gets to interact with people in the duck business, he would encourage them to use Pilmico’s products.

“Parati kong ina-advice na subukan nilang Pilmico Avemax Duck Layex 1. Kahit paunti-unti lang muna. Pero sa kalaunan, kapag nakita na nila ang ganda ng resulta ng Pilmico, di na ulit sila gagamit pa ng ibang feeds. Kaya naman sa lahat ng gusto mag negosyo ng itik, ang maipapayo ko lang ay gumamit na kayo ng Pilmico Avemax Duck Layex para sigurado ang pangingitlog ng alaga nating itik.”

A total of 14,285 individuals affected by Typhoon Nina in Bicol, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), and Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) are expected to benefit from the high-energy biscuits recently donated by the Aboitiz Group.

The Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, in coordination with Pilmico Foods Corporation and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., turned over 205 boxes containing 14,285 The Care Packages to non-government organization Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership, for immediate distribution to areas affected by Typhoon Nina.

Kaya Natin lead convenor and trustee Harvey Keh was present during the turnover of The Care Packages at the organization’s office in Quezon City.

The Care Packages, developed by Aboitiz food business unit Pilmico, contains packs of 100-gram high-energy biscuits loaded with 450 kilocalories (equivalent to one full meal) each, designed as an efficient disaster relief solution that not only addresses hunger but provides adequate nutrition via a sustainable food supply.

During disasters when viable food sources are scarce and time is of the essence, The Care Package serves as an effective emergency provision, with each 100-gram pack containing essential proteins, vitamins A, B1 to B12, C, D3, and E, carbohydrates, added sugar, fat, iodine, iron, magnesium, and calcium necessary for one person’s nourishment and energy needs.

“We hope that our Care Packages would be able to nurture our affected brothers and sisters and feed them with the strength to rebuild and get back on their feet,” said Maribeth Marasigan, Aboitiz Foundation First Vice President.

Originally posted: Cebu Daily News

Families affected by Typhoon Nina are expected to benefit from adequate nutrition and food supply following Typhoon Nina thanks to over 14,000 The Care Package high energy biscuits recently donated by the Aboitiz Group.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV) through its corporate foundation, Aboitiz Foundation, turned over to Kaya Natin –  a non-profit and non-government organization that promotes good governance and ethical leadership in the Philippines. – 205 boxes containing 14,350 The Care Packages for immediate distribution in the Bicol region.

Kaya Natin Lead Convenor and Trustee, Harvey Keh and DJ Sta. Ana, First Vice President for Government Relations of AEV were present at the Kaya Natin headquarters in Quezon City for the turnover ceremony.

In times of disasters when viable sources of food are scarce, The Care Package high energy biscuits serves as an effective emergency provision. It provides a lasting, sustainable nourishment and can play a crucial part of a person’s road to recovery in the face of unstable food supply within weeks after calamities hit. Each 100-g pack of high energy biscuits contains proteins, vitamins A, B1, B12, C, D3, E, iodine, magnesium, calcium as well as carbohydrates and sugar, necessary for a person’s nourishment and energy needs without sacrificing taste.

FORTY-THREE senior high school students of Sinsin National High School in Cebu City will soon reap the benefits of having a technical-vocational program following the turnover of an agri-vocational project to support DepEd’s K+12 initiative.

The project, which was turned over last Dec. 16, involved the construction of a chicken and quail layer house with ready to lay chicken and quail, and a seminar on basic layer management.

It provides high school graduates with opportunities to acquire certifiable technical vocational skills and venture into entrepreneurship.

The project has been conceptualized and implemented by eight Aboitiz scholars, namely, Preach Hero Angeles, Michael John Arrofo, Carlo Galicia, Jamisola Jhen Gigje, Ma. Christina Llanita, Ed Carlo Maglasang, Julius Mendoza and Jonjay Tenebro, in coordination with the Aboitiz Foundation and Aboitiz food business unit Pilmico.

As part of its Enterprise Development for a #BetterWorld campaign, the Aboitiz Foundation has been assisting small enterprising organizations across the country earn additional income by providing them access to income-generating activities and livelihood opportunities.

The campaign also provides assistance through training and seminars to partner-organizations on various topics, such as management, basic cooperative course, cooperative management and governance, cooperative standards, entrepreneurial and business management, financial management, parliamentary procedure, records management, and rules formulation, to ensure that they gain the skills in making their projects successful and sustainable.

This campaign supports one of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, specifically on decent work and economic growth (promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all).

An association of livestock raisers from Central Iloilo, the Central Iloilo Producers Association (CILPA), received a weighing scale from Pilmico Foods Corporation and Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (AFI) in a turnover ceremony at Barangay Madong recently.

The event officially kicked off the company’s efforts to equip backyard farmers around the country with weighing scales – an essential tool that will address the high cost of weighing live hogs for livestock producers.

Apol Castro, Pilmico Vice President for Strategy, Business Development and Corporate Responsibility said:

“Ang pagtitipon na ito ay simula ng aming malawakang proyektong pangkabuhayan. Sa mga susunod na buwan, iikot kami sa buong bansa upang magpamahagi ng mga timbangan sa tulad ninyong mga magbababoy para makatulong sa pag-asenso at pag-lago ng inyong kita.”

The association received 1 dial mechanical hog scale (300 kg) which will benefit over 30 CILPIPA members who are backyard farmers from Barangay Madong, Janiuay Iloilo. Present during the ceremony were: Pilmico Vice President for Strategy, Business Development and Corporate Social Responsibility Apol Castro,  CILPA President Renato Habana and Vice President Dioscoro Belmas.  

“Maraming salamat sa Pilmico at sa Aboitiz Foundation sa walang sawang suporta. Dahil sa proyektong ito, hindi na kami mangangamba at makatutulong ito lalong lalo na sa aming mga magbababoy,” CILPA President Renato Habana said.

For Manuel, his agribusiness started when Arnel – Territory Business Manager – introduced him to Pilmico feeds. At that time, he wasn’t very knowledgeable about swine farming so it took a while to get his feeds business up and running. Little did he know that this simple introduction would lead to another profitable business venture in the near future.

Manuel shared: “Nagumpisa ako magbenta ng Pilmico feeds worth Php 30,000. Pero sa tulong ng Animal Product Specialist, ginalugad namin yung area namin dito at ipina- kilala namin ang Pilmico at yung kagandahan sa paggamit ng produktong ito. Mula sa Php 30,000 worth of feeds noon, from 2010-2015, 1600 – 1700 bags per month na kami,”

Being a dedicated businessman, Manuel wanted to educate himself on the various Pilmico products he carries in his store; so he decided to go into swine farming. What started as an experimental project has now turned into a supplementary business for Manuel.

“Gusto kong mapatunayan sa sarili ko kung gaano kaganda talaga itong produktong ito at kung papaano ko maipapakita sa kapwa ko magba-baboy. Nag- umpisa akong 23 heads para mapatunayan na itong line of feeds na pinapakain ko ay talagang maganda. Hindi naman ako nabigo kasi nakita ko yung paglaki ng baboy ay mabilis. Dahil sinubukan ko ang Pilmico feeds, confident na akong sabihin sa mga tao na ang ibinebenta kong feeds ay maganda ang resulta. Pinagpatuloy ko yung pagba-baboy at sa ngayon, mayron na akong 13 inahin. Sa katunayan, kapag nanganganak ang mga alaga ko, marami na ang nagpapa-reserve kasi alam nila na kaledad ang baboy dahil sa genetics at sa feeds na pinapakain ko. May kita na sa feeds, may kita pa sa nai-bentang biik.”

There’s been a lot of feed companies who’ve approached Manuel and convinced him to carry their products over the years. But, he remains a loyal Pilmico user.

To help bring inclusive growth to the grassroots, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of the Aboitiz Group has provided loans for small-scale businesses amounting to P29.3 million to date.

Funded through microfinance institution Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, the credit facility under the enterprise development of the Aboitiz Foundation benefited 2,597 individuals with 719 livelihood kits under Pilmico’s sustainable entrepreneurship campaign Mahalin Pagkaing Atin, benefiting 705 families.

The amount forms part of the total allotment of P245 million for all the CSR initiatives of the Aboitiz Foundation. In 2016 alone, P123 million, or more than half, went for the implementation of “CSR 2.0” projects—higher than the 16-percent and 7-percent budgets in 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Apart from enterprise development, the foundation invested the largest portion of its budget in the academic sector being the key private partner of the Department of Education.

This included adopting 35 technical-vocational high schools and 10 special-science elementary schools, constructing 932 classrooms and 246 Aklat, Gabay, Aruga tungo sa Pag-Angat at Pag-asa Foundation classrooms, rewiring 4,331 classrooms, and the donation of 1,695 stand-alone and 2,185 thin-client computer units. Also, a total of 561 college students nationwide have been granted scholarships.

As to environmental protection, the Aboitiz Group, through this appropriation, ended 2016 with 3.8 million trees planted groupwide, with an average seedling survival rate of 80 percent as of end-2015. A portion of this was planted under the National Greening Program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Given the figures, the company is on track to growing 9 million seedlings by 2020.

The Aboitiz Cleanergy Center and the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park have already hosted 28,791 and 3,763 visitors. The former is the country’s first and only renewable-energy education facility. The latter is an 8-hectare outdoor biodiversity park and marine-protected area with 8,517 planted mangroves; 2,726 discovered and 2,655 transferred pawikan eggs from 17 discovered nests; 1,876 released pawikan hatchlings and 55 discovered bird species. Roderick L. Abad.

The Foundation likewise has funded its health and well-being efforts, which to date constructed 15 health centers and 20 daycare centers and donated 49 water systems to host communities nationwide.

Meanwhile, WeatherPhilippines Foundation already deployed 792 automated-weather stations, and trained 3,060 individuals on basic Weather 101.

Going beyond mere one-time dole-outs (CSR 1.0), the Aboitizes started implementing in 2015 the CSR 2.0 projects, where the Foundation executes community projects that deliver longer-term benefits, are aligned to the Group’s core competencies, encourage team member engagement, and are scalable initiatives with positive sustainable impact of national scope.

“Thanks to the active efforts of our partners and team members, we were able to significantly champion more CSR 2.0 projects in 2016,” said Maribeth L. Marasigan, first vice president of Aboitiz Foundation. “We will continue building on our progress and deliver more shared value to our beneficiaries as we help advance business and communities that are safe, sustainable, and empowered.”

Original post: Business Mirror

Pilmico Foods Corporation (Pilmico) through Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (AFI) has donated essential tools and equipment to Dalipuga National High School in preparation for its full-scale K-12 program implementation this year.

Over Php 1M worth of assistance was provided by Pilmico & AFI which includes: textbooks & reference materials, school equipment and multimedia facilities. More importantly, the donation also covered teachers’ training and a bench-marking opportunity with other business units who are currently implementing technical vocational programs within their areas.

For Dalipuga National High School, their focus tracks are: Bread and Pastry Production, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, and Cookery.

Pilmico Vice President for Operations – Iligan, Engr. Florencio Sebandal was present during the turnover ceremony. During his keynote speech, Engr. Sebandal addressed the student beneficiaries and said:

“You are the biggest, most important component for the success of this school. If you can commit to that, as early as now, I already congratulate you for your success… I trust that you will stand with your commitment and I would like to see you years from now successful in your careers through the help of this donation.”

Dalipuga National High School is within close proximity to Pilmico’s Iligan Plant. The High School has been aiming to formally put in place their technical vocational programs but had limited resources to do so. Pilmico’s donation will enable the school to carry out its programs and complete its transition to a K-12 curriculum.

A product born from the 2013 typhoon Yolanda promises the most convenient relief for the hungry and malnourished.

The Philippines is considered to be among the most disaster-stricken nations in the world. And the problem doesn’t end there. The country also has a staggering 28 million citizens suffering from malnutrition and chronic micronutrient deficiency. It seems like out nation is finding it challenging to stand up and be in tiptop condition with many of its people pained by calamity and hunger.  And it doesn’t help having inefficient officials and operations either.  In 2015, despite having billions of disaster aid supplements, a total of 141.1 million worth of disaster-relief packs were wasted due to careless food distribution, most of which got spoiled even before reaching the families.  It could easily have been prevented by simply employing more thoughtful procedures.  But it was faulty from the get-go.

As has been a habit, the common go-to relief donation for communities contains rice, noodles, and coffee.  These are good but simply do not carry the nutritional value and easy preparation needed during times of need and rapidly worsening conditions.  Hence, families end up being burdened even further.  It’s a good thing someone came to rescue and cleverly thought of a much better solution to the dire situation.

Aptly called THE CARE PACKAGE, the easily transportable packer contains contains Pilmico’s High Energy Biscuits, tasty vanilla biscuits packed with 450 kilocalories of energy, equal to one full meal.  Containing proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins A, B1 to B12, C, D3 and E, iodine, iron, magnesium, and calcium.  The Care Package includes every important aspect of the healthy meal, or more importantly, an emergency food provision.

Goods distributed to communities in need have to be ready for consumption.  A lot of calamity victims have been unable to use the provisions given to them because these required heating, cooking, and refrigerating.  Due to long periods without access to power or any form of cookware, numerous packs of donated food perish and go to waste. This is why The Care Package contains cookies that are ready-to-eat, nutritious, have a one-year shelf life, and are contained in a package that prevents moisture buildup.

With the advent of continuous tragedies and misfortunes hitting the nation and affecting Filipinos, NGOs, LGUs and other organizations continue to look for better ways to help out those in need. At last, there is now a viable solution – and it’s in one simple package.

Article Source: F&B Report
Text by: Amor Maclang and Angelo Comsti
Photo by: RG Medestomas

On 10 February 2017, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook Surigao del Norte leaving thousands of families with damaged homes, many of which are backyard raisers.

The livelihoods of Surigaonons from the municipalities of San Francisco, Malimono, and the City of Surigao were seriously affected by the quake due to damaged pig pens and loss of electricity. In addition, residents from these areas were also forced to evacuate their homes due to potential landslides and aftershocks.

Pilmico, led by its Caraga Feed Sales team, mobilized groups to provide essential relief goods and technical & veterinary assistance to backyard farmers in order to get their livelihoods back on track.

Days after the earthquake, the four teams were deployed to various earthquake-affected areas together with a local government representative. The teams distributed food packs and distilled water as well as construction materials and medicines. A veterinary mission soon followed, which included counselling and repairs of damaged pig pens.

On 19 February, Governor Sol Matugas of Surigao del Norte personally thanked Pilmico and its Caraga Feed Sales Team for its quick response and by being the only organization who put primary focus on rebuilding the livelihoods of Surigaonons.

9 March 2017 – A new meat-cutting plant was inaugurated early Thursday morning in Butuan City. The facility, a joint project of Pilmico Animal Nutrition Corporation (Pilmico), Happy Enterprises & Resources, Inc., and Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development – PCCP / USDA, is the first of its kind in the Caraga region.

The ceremony was attended by Pilmico VP & COO for Feeds, Tristan Aboitiz, Pilmico VP for Feed Sales Norie Bermudez, Happy Enterprises & Resources Inc. President Engr. Victorino Balibrea, Winrock International Chief of Party Remer Lane III as well as representatives from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).

Pilmico and its project partners are looking forward for the plant to be fully operational, largely because of the impact it will have on Caraga’s economy and its local farmers.

In his speech, Tristan Aboitiz said:

“Our aim to improve the swine industry in Caraga is now clearly coming into fruition with the opening of the meat-cutting plant…This meat-processing plant will provide the local backyard farmers with a market for their livestock and simultaneously give the local community access to locally grown, fresh quality meat.”

With the common goal of improving the management practices of the backyard farmers in the Caraga region, Pilmico, Winrock International and Happy Enterprises transformed their current swine re-population project into a more holistic and sustainable approach to addressing swine production challenges through the construction of the meat-cutting plant.

The facility will cater to Butuanons and nearby provinces and more importantly, give the local community access to fresh quality meat and opportunity for local employment.

Construction of the meat-cutting plant started in May 2016.

video originally posted at PIA CARAGA

As part of the nationwide implementation of the the “Life Sacks Project”, an all-women’s group from Tarlac – Moncada Women’s Credit Cooperative – received livelihood assistance from Pilmico Foods Corporation and Aboitiz Foundation Inc. via a turnover ceremony held recently.

From an employee-driven initiative, the Life Sacks Project has already changed the lives of two women’s cooperatives in Taguig and Iligan. Through the livelihood package provided by Pilmico, the Sewers for Equity and Welfare Producers Cooperative (Taguig) and KALIPI Women’s Association (Iligan) were able to get an additional source of income by turning used Pilmico flour sacks into recyclable bags.

The Moncada Women’s Credit Cooperative (MWCC) in Tarlac is the third beneficiary chosen for the Life Sacks livelihood program. Jeffrey Caugiran, Pilmico’s Safety Manager, said the company has turned over essential livelihood equipment which includes 10 sewing machines complete with table, chair & sewing kits as well as 2000 feeds sacks as start-up.

Jeffrey Caugiran said:

“We are giving these machines to the women beneficiaries of the cooperative because we give also give importance to the welfare of women and in empowering women. Naniniwala kami sa kakayahan ng kababaihan dito sa Tarlac. Sa pamamagitan ng livelihood na ito, magkakaroon ng alternatibong pagkakakitaan ang ating mga nanay na narito.”

Brenda Gison General Manager of MWCC expressed her gratitude to Pilmico. Brenda said:

“On behelf of MWCC and all the women members of the cooperative. Lubos kaming nagpapasalamat dahil isang malaking bagay ito para sa mga miyembro namin na magkaroon ng sewing equipment; higit na makakatulong ito sa mga pamilya namin. Sana mag tuloy-tuloy at mas lumakas pa ang samahan ng MWCC at Pilmico.”

The turnover ceremony was held at the MWCC Office in Poblacion 1, Moncada, Tarlac. The event was attended by members of Pilmico Taskforce Responsibility as well as other members of the MWCC.

6 April, Parañaque City – As a way to give back to the community, animal feeds producer Pilmico, gathered cockfighting and gamefowl-breeding aficionados all over the country for their annual Salto Breeders Benefit Sabong.

Roligon Mega Cockpit, one of the country’s premier cockfighting locations, served as the host for this year’s derby. Salto’s national endorsers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao participated in the event, for the benefit of Col. E. De Leon Public Elementary School in Parañaque City.

Salto is the gamefowl feed brand of Pilmico.

A pre-determined amount from the total ticket sales were utilized in three ways: 1) rehabilitation of classroom walls and other school fixtures (2) service learning activities and the (3) purchase of 7 units of SMART TV’s and, other essential school supplies.

The event raised more than Php 200,000.

Over 600 pupils – from Kindergarten to Grade 6 – benefited from the project which aims to encourage the youth to be more engaged in their studies by providing them with fundamental tools vital to a progressive learning experience.

Apart from this, Salto also conducted free seminars to loyal endorsers and breeders on gamefowl breeding and conditioning. More than 250 attended the free lectures which were conducted in four separate locations: Manila, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan.

In 2016, the Salto team raised funds for a school in Minglanilla, Cebu.

Tayasan, Negros Oriental – As part of its efforts to champion sustainable livelihood and backyard farming throughout the country, Pilmico – the food subsidiary of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. – kicked off its Food, Agri & Livelihood caravan in Tayasan, Negros Oriental. 

With its primary objective to “Create a venue that celebrates local businesses and inspires the next generation of agri-entrepreneurs”, the trade exposition gathered farmers, existing & aspiring agri-entrepreneurs and baking enthusiasts 

and were given access to free trainings essential to starting a business and a chance to interact, engage and form partnerships with exhibitors.

Workshops held included topics such as: hog raising, poultry (layer) management, animal health, micro financing, basic & advanced baking, and packaging & labelling. Meanwhile, Mahalin Pagkaing Atin Ambassador Chef Boy Logro treated Negrenses with a cooking demo where the different flavors of the Philippines were showcased using pork, chicken & eggs. 

Apart from the free training, a turnover ceremony of livelihood kits was held for the 16 pre-screened beneficiaries from Negros Oriental. The livelihood assistance consisted of: 30 piglets (3 piglets per beneficiary; each with one-cycle feed consumption), 5 egg machines (48-chicken set each with once-cycle feed consumption) and 1 bakery kit (1-deck 4-tray bread oven, bread rack, working table, bread showcase, dough roller and 10 bags of flour). 

The piglets, egg machines and bakery kit will enable beneficiaries to sustain their livelihoods through an easy-to-manage business with a quick return on investment, despite the threats of poverty, tragedy or conflict.

These donations are part of Pilmico’s Mahalin Pagkaing Atin program, a campaign introduced in 2014 that aims to promote sustainable entrepreneurship through promotion of local produce and instill a “pride of product, pride of place” mindset for both farmers and local consumers, thus enabling operators to maximize profit without passing through middlemen.

Nationwide, Pilmico has already donated a total of 706 piglets, 333 egg machines, 30 bakery starter livelilihood packages. Next stop of the Food, Agri & Livelihood caravan will be in Palawan.

Conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. plans to spend P4 billion to expand the production capacity of food manufacturing unit Pilmico Foods Corp. from 2017 to 2020.

Pilmico president Sabin Aboitiz said during a recent analysts’ briefing the company aimed to increase the sow level capacity of hog farms to 20,000 heads by 2020 from 14,000 heads at present and raise the output of animal feeds business to 153 tons per hour from 113 TPH.

The company also intends to expand its aqua feeds capacity to 64 TPH by 2020 from 44 TPH by end-2017 and increase the production of ready-to-lay hen to 1 million heads by 2020 from 172,000 heads in 2017.

The group broke ground on several projects including the expansion of meat processing  and feedmill plants and a grains storage facility in Tarlac province.

Aboitiz said the company also recently incorporated a trading office in Indonesia as a part of the thrust to expand within Southeast Asia.

“Asean way in the future is going to be big. When you look at our acquisition in Vietnam, that gave us access to 600 million population. So the opportunities are quite good.  We are excited to expand that,” Aboitiz said.

Pilmico is currently expanding its customer reach in the Association of South East Asian Nations region while diversifying national operations.

Net income contribution of Pilmico went down 25 percent in the first quarter to P292 million from P389 million a year ago.

Feeds and flour businesses reported a drop in net income contributions on lower selling prices and higher raw material and operating costs. Depressed flour prices, higher wheat cost and increase in operating costs dragged flour’s net income for the period to P87 million, down 46 percent from a year ago.

AEV allocated P1.7 billion in capital expenditures for its food manufacturing business in 2017 to support various initiatives for its flour, feeds and farms divisions while pursuing regional opportunities.

Originally posted: www.thestandard.com.ph

Le Dessert Cakes & Pastries was established by the Bernardo family in 2004.
With only Php 700 as capital, Romelisa Bernardo and her husband decided to set-up their food-selling business to supplement and address their growing financial needs. The very first product they sold was empanada – distributed on consignment, to schools, offices, and canteens within Puerto Princesa City.

The turning point for the Bernardo’s was when they sold Crema de Fruta and other cakes during Christmas season. The feedback from their family – their primary customers – was very positive and thus inspired the couple to make their baking business, official.

Years later, through numerous challenges and trials, Le Dessert Cakes & Pastries still serves up unique and tasty baked treats to Palaweños.

Their partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Science and Technology (DoST) allowed them to reach more potential customers and more importantly, help the local agricultural industry. The Bernardo’s sources products such as: Eggs, Cassava, Ube, Peanut, Cashew, and Buko from local suppliers.

A proud user of Pilmico flour, Le Dessert Cakes & Pastries vows to continue their good will to the community by patronizing local produce and innovating products which Palaweños will be proud of.
Le Dessert Cakes & Pastries was one of the exhibitors at the recent Mahalin Pagkaing Atin Food, Agri & Livelihood Expo in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. The event, whose objective is to “Create a venue that celebrates local businesses and inspires the next generation of agri-entrepreneurs” attracted over 250 participants. The next stop for the nationwide caravan is in Pampanga.

Pilmico Foods Corporation has recently been awarded with international certification in quality and food safety management systems.

The ISO 9001:2015 and the HACCP (Codex Alimentarus HACCP/CAC/RCP-1-1969/Rev 4-2003) awards were presented by TÜV SÜD Philippines to Pilmico President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz at the Pilmico corporate office in Taguig and witnessed by the entire executive committee of Pilmico.

 “Pilmico Foods Corporation for both the Flour and Feedmill divisions has implemented and maintained a quality and food safety management system in conformance to ISO 9001:2015 and HACCP standards and continually demonstrate that its products and services complies with the legal, statutory and contractual requirements, and ensures that it meets or even exceeds the expectation of its customers and various stakeholders,” said Ms. Eunice Diamante, Senior Audit Manager for TÜV SÜD PSB Philippines.

Diamante adds: “And because of the company’s commitment to provide quality and excellent services, its customers are assured and can have confidence that these services are performed and carried out safe, of good quality, reliable and consistently delivered as promise [sic].”

 The certifications are a valuable addition to Pilmico’s accomplishments, and reflects the hard work that the team is employing to take the company to new heights. The Pilmico Integrated Management System (PIMS) ensures this, by providing a guide for all employees in their decisions and activities pertaining to quality, information security, halal assurance as well as HACCP and good manufacturing practices

 Mr. Florencio ‘Dodong’ Sebandal, Vice President for Operations, Pilmico said:

 “We are extremely honored to have met the rigorous standards set forth by ISO and HACCP.  These certifications validate the hardwork and commitment of our Pilmico partners to continually improve our processes.”

Over the years, Pinoy bread has become a reflection of our identity, and our people’s history and affinity for food. Different bread variants, from the humble pan de sal to the merienda-favorite ensaimada, have become household staples and have played witnesses to countless family and community gatherings.

Apart from enjoying the numerous kinds of bread that we have today, being familiar with our local bread culture’s colorful history helps preserve its rich heritage. Understanding the stories behind each bread also heightens the sense of pride we have in local food.

To continue celebrating the vibrant tradition of Filipino bread-making, the Tinapay Natin Pinoy Bread Baking Competition is back for its second run this year. With the support of Max’s Corner Bakery and Pilmico, the competition vows to be bigger, better, and more inclusive.

Calling Culinary Students and Passionate Home Bakers

The contest once again invites student bakers all over the Philippines to create a beloved traditional bread, as well as to add their own twist to Pinoy favorites with their version of a modern bread. What makes this year’s competition more exciting is that Tinapay Natin will be opened to all non-professional home bakers who want to share their own bread stories.

Apart from the participants’ technical skills, the individual stories of their bread entries will be an important component in selecting this year’s winner. “We are a country who has had a long history of enjoying bread. Even in Max’s Corner Bakery and Max’s Restaurant, the first meal we offered was fried chicken with dinner rolls. It is our hope then that through this competition, our young participants will be able to share the unique story of their bread creations. We want to know the inspiration, the struggles, and the hard work put into making it,” shares Ariel P. Fermin, Chief Operating Officer of Max’s Corner Bakery and Max’s Restaurant.

Tristan Aboitiz, Chief Operating Officer of Pilmico, adds, “The entries that we received from last year’s Tinapay Natin competition opened our eyes to the many colorful stories that go with each bread product, and this is a testament of how rich our local bread culture is. We hope that with this competition, we are able to encourage the public to keep the bread-making tradition alive, and of course, to support the local bread industry just as much as we and Max’s Corner Bakery do.”

Cash prizes await participants with the most compelling bread stories and entries. This year’s Tinapay Natin will be running from July to October 2017, with regional bake-offs happening in Baguio, Bacolod, and Davao. The winning bread will be awarded during the Grand Finals in Metro Manila in November, and will be made available through Max’s Corner Bakery nationwide as a limited offering.

For more information about the competition, head to https://www.facebook.com/TinapayNatin