URC to sell C2 in China, other Asian markets

Following the successful launch of its green tea-based beverage C2, Universal Robina Corp., the food and beverage unit of Gokongwei flagship firm JG Summit Holdings Inc., is taking this drink to Asia, possibly in China.

URC president and chief operating officer Lance Gokongwei said the group is expanding its C2 business outside the country to take advantage of the huge demand for green tea-based drinks in Asia.

Gokongwei said plans are now underway for the construction of a plant within Asia that will solely manufacture green-tea based drinks. The move is in line with the company’s bid to become a major branded food consumer food player in the Southeast Asia and Greater China region.

Sources said the plant will most likely rise in China, which is known to be one of the world’s largest tea-drinkers.

Construction of the plant is expected to start before the end of the year, Gokongwei said.

Green Tea is the most common tea in both China and Japan. In China it accounts for more than 50 percent of the tea crops. Every tea-planting region in China churns out green tea.

Gokongwei said he is hopeful that C2, its non-carbonated and green-tea based beverage, could duplicate its success in Asia.

Besides drinking it as a form of leisure and enjoyment, green tea was also valued for its medicinal properties.

Packaged in plastic PET bottles, C2 comes in five varieties to match different tastes and preferences — C2 Plain Green Tea, Green Tea Lemon, Green Tea Peach, Green Tea Apple, and the black tea-based Lemon Iced Tea.

Studies show that green tea is a powerful anti-oxidant. Besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, green tea kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots.

URC is among the Philippines’ pioneers in the food manufacturing business having been operating in the country for over 40 years. URC is engaged in manufacturing, marketing and distribution of a wide range of consumer food products such as snacks, confectionery, biscuits and crackers, instant coffee, instant noodles, tomato sauces, and pasta among others.

It is the market leader in snack foods, candies, chocolates, biscuits, day-old chicks and fish feeds.

Its known brands include Jack ‘N Jill (Chippy, Chiz Curls, Piattos, Nova), Payless, Nissin’s, Cloud Nine, Maxx, Great Taste Coffee, C2 Green Tea Iced Tea, Nips, Magic Flakes, Cream-O, and Hunt’s.

Consistently ranked among the TOP 50 Corporations in the Philippines, URC remains to be a market leader.

URC also has production facilities in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam and sales/marketing offices in Hongkong and Singapore. URC is also engaged in Agro-industrial products, sugar milling, flour milling and packaging businesses in the Philippines.