PROMOTING LOCAL CATSUP

PROMOTING LOCAL CATSUP

My dear friends, given the choice between Kraft Heinz Tomato Catsup and Del Monte Tomato Catsup, which one will you buy? I will choose the latter, and I will tell you why. Although there are other Del Monte companies selling other products elsewhere, the rights to manufacture and sell Del Monte Catsup worldwide is owned by Del Monte Pacific Limited (DMPL), a Filipino company identified with the Campos family here.

Since we live in a democratic country and we have a free market economy, I have to say that everyone is free to buy any catsup they like, including Kraft Heinz. The reason for that is that in fairness, there are probably many Filipinos who are employed by the local distributor, and that counts too in terms of what is good for the local economy. However, it is easy to say that Del Monte trumps Hienz in terms of local benefits, because the former not only buys tomato fruits from local farmers, but they also hire more workers for local manufacturing and distribution.

Perhaps unknown to many of us, the Campos family also owns NutriAsia, the company that makes UFC, Jufran and Papa Banana Catsup. As a matter of fact, I personally believe that it’s the money made by the Campos family from these three brands that they used to gain control of the global Del Monte Catsup brand. Although I believe that the Campos family was able to succeed on their own, the government should help them so they could expand their operations in bigger and faster ways abroad.

I know that the comparison is too far-fetched, I think that Del Monte Catsup could become the “red oil” of the Philippines, just like the “black oil” of the Middle East. That is the reason why I am recommending full government support for Del Monte and other companies that have made their mark in the global market. The list includes San Miguel, Jollibee Foods and Alliance Global Group. The latter makes Emperador Brandy.

Perhaps, not too many people know also that Alliance Global Group now owns Fundador Brandy, one of the biggest brandy brands of the world. And if I am not mistaken, the group raised the money to buy Fundador from their sales of Emperador in the Philippines. I will not be surprised if Emperador will also become a global brand, because all it must do is to ride on the organization behind Fundador. That is one sure way to promote the export volume of a local product.

Can you imagine how many farmers will benefit if Del Monte Catsup becomes a bigger global catsup brand than it is now? Although the market share figures are not available, Del Monte is undoubtably one of the biggest players in the tomato catsup category, along with Kraft Heinz, Conagra, Unilever and Nestle. Although I like the latter two because they are good corporate locators in the Philippines, it makes sense for all Filipinos all over the world, regardless of where they are to buy Del Monte Catsup all the time. What can DTI do to help them? Your friend, IKE SENERES/11-10-2024

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