Zuellig Pharma breaks new ground with consumer division

Traditionally, healthcare products could only be found in drugstores. Nowadays, they are available in leading supermarkets, convenience stores and even sari-sari stores.

This trend of bringing more healthcare products to more people has prompted Zuellig Pharma Corp. (ZPC) to establish a new Consumer Healthcare Division that became fully operational last Jan. 1.

Heading this new business unit as its vice president is Julius Barraquias Jr. Prior to his appointment, Barraquias was the sales director for Wrigley Phils. Inc. He was also previously connected with SB Consumer Healthcare Division and with Procter & Gamble Phils. for over seven years.

Barraquias brings to ZPC a wealth of experience in sales and distribution of consumer goods. He related that he started his career as a cheese salesman in Magnolia and got into Procter & Gamble where he handled key accounts.

Barraquias said he had received an offer to work for a liquor company but turned it down because he preferred working for companies that promoted healthcare.

"I like to work for companies that value health and help to bring healthcare to the people," he said, adding that he will surely help to achieve this with ZPC.

He noted that the consumer healthcare business has become so sophisticated over the years that pharmaceutical companies have realized the importance of coming up with its own consumer healthcare divisions to handle these products.

Products that fall under this category include nutritionals like milk and special dietary supplements, analgesics and therapeutic mouthwash.

"These products are usually coursed through supermarkets, convenience stores and even sari-sari stores," Barraquias said. "You can say that this is ZPC’s expanded way of helping our principals’ products reach the most number of consumers."

However, Barraquias pointed out that if a pharmaceutical company undertakes the distribution of these products themselves, it will cost the firm millions of pesos. It will also take a company years to develop a distribution network.

"That’s where we at ZPC come in," he said. "Since we have developed a state-of-the-art distribution system, we can distribute these products for the principals because our network is nationwide and we have warehouses they can use."

ZPC has also developed a network of sub-distributors that can widen the principals’ reach.

ZPC, Barraquias said, has a very focused consumer healthcare division because most of the people in the division have consumer distribution experience in almost any product.

"You can say that ZPC is becoming very consumer-friendly because the management has been ‘consumerizing’ its staff," he said. "In fact, our new chief operations officer (COO) is also a consumer man."

Barraquias is referring to ZPC’s recently appointed COO, Michael Becker, who has had a distinguished career at Coca-Cola. He spent 20 highly successful years in the firm’s international operations, the last seven years were with Coca-Cola Bottlers Phils. Inc. where he held the position of chief finance officer from 1994 to 1998 and thereafter, as executive vice president and supply chain director.