Gardenia to launch new products

With the vast resources of its mother firm — Singapore-based Gardenia International Pte Ltd. — Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc. is ready to diversify and launch new products that are milk and fruit-based.

A preview of what Gardenia Philippines is going to launch in the coming months and years was displayed at the company’s 10th anniversary celebration held recently at the NBC Tent in Fort Bonifacio before hundreds of suppliers and institutional partners, particularly the numerous supermarket, grocery and convenience store chains. On display were croissants, pastries, cookies and cakes which would transform Gardenia into a complete bakeshop for all types of market.

Gardenia’s expansion program was announced by general manager Simplicio Umali Jr. as he recalled Gardenia’s phenomenal growth with sales rising from only P170 million in 1997 to P1.63 billion last year.

Gardenia will soon transfer the machinery and equipment of its Santa Rosa plant to Cebu while the Sta. Rosa plant will install bigger equipment with modern bakery technology from Europe and other parts of the world to double its capacity. The planned Cebu plant will serve the Visayas and Mindanao markets.

“We can import the machines and set them up by the second half. Our existing plant will be taken to Cebu, which will produce the breads there for the VisMin markets. What we are waiting for is the approval of our mother company, QAF Limited which runs Gardenia International Pte.Ltd. in Singapore,” Umali said.

Its current plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna is capable of producing 200,000 loaves and 200,000 pieces of pandesal each day. But the company wants to double this by using more modern European baking technologies, which it will set up by the second half of 2008 in Laguna.

Gardenia expects to increase its sales to P2 billion (or more) this year by coming out with new products for the broader population, further expanding its distribution system and diversifying its product offerings to small neighborhood bakeries like frozen dough that they can readily cook and serve hot to buyers.

Gardenia has a market share of over 60 percent of the total branded bread segment.

Then available only in Metro Manila, Gardenia products are now shipped from its Laguna plant up north in Ilocos and Cagayan Valley, and down south to the beaches of Boracay in Iloilo, and most recently in Bacolod and nearby towns.

Umali said the investments which will be needed for the company’s expansion program will be internally generated. The company also plans to launch its initial public offering in 2009 or 2010.