MORE ROOM FOR GROWTH. Prime Global Corp. (PGC) president and chief operating officer Vincent Ace Villa-Real (left), Hortaleza Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Dr. Rolando Hortaleza (center), and PGC vice president for customer and business development - Philippine operation Alexone Hortaleza. The PGC said it sees new growth opportunities with the increasing number of online food businesses during the pandemic and is thus boosting its online presence for Barrio Fiesta condiments. (Photo courtesy of PGC)
MANILA – Prime Global Corp. (PGC), the owner of Barrio Fiesta Manufacturing Corp., sees new growth opportunities with the increasing number of online food businesses and the rise of “home cooks” amid the pandemic.
In a statement on Wednesday, PGC said the company is boosting its online presence for Barrio Fiesta condiments.
“Fortunately, for the packaged food category, we are seeing growth opportunities still as people continue to remain at home, opting for home-cooked meals and seeing the rise of ‘home chefs’. We anticipate that the ‘new normal’ will continue to bring about more interest, creativity, and enthusiasm for ‘lutong-bahay’ recipes, and we want to be there for them,” PGC marketing head Reychelle Ann Gigante said.
Gigante said while boosting its online ventures, the firm would maintain its Barrio Fiesta products’ presence in physical stores.
These products are still available in supermarkets, groceries, convenience stores, drug stores, and sari-sari-stores.
“While we very much acknowledge the important role that e-commerce has played during the new normal, we also understand that there is still a great need for general and modern trade or supermarkets and groceries and it is very much essential for us, as well as it still caters to Filipinos who opt to shop in brick-and-mortar stores,” Gigante said. “For us, it won’t be one or the other, as this multi-channel availability will allow us to reach our customers in the most convenient way possible.”
The brand is known for its Barrio Fiesta sautéed shrimp paste or “bagoong”, with a 65-percent share of the local sautéed shrimp paste category, and 95 percent of the international market in 2019.
Barrio Fiesta exports its “bagoong” products to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Papua New Guinea.
It diversified into the condiments and snacks categories early this year, introducing such products as Barrio Fiesta gourmet “patis” (fish sauce), Barrio Fiesta “tubasuk” (spiced sugar cane vinegar), Barrio Fiesta crispy joy breading mix, Barrio Fiesta peanut butter spreads, Barrio Fiesta chicken and beef broth cubes, and Barrio Fiesta jumbo roasted peanuts.
“Our goal this year is to further dominate the category in both domestic and international markets. And in the next three years, we aspire to be among the top local companies in the sauces, dressings, condiments, and packaged foods categories,” PGC president and chief operating officer Vincent Ace Villa-Real said. (PNA)
