Local bakers urged to step up, innovate

CEBU, Philippines — The baking industry in Cebu should think about innovating and embracing new techniques to be globally competitive.

In a press conference Tuesday, Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Stanley Go said bakers have to step up their operations to compete.

“We are no longer competing against local players. We are competing against the world,” Go said.

The official pointed out that local bakery players should innovate, as global companies have done, in order for the baking industry to achieve competitive advantage.

MCCI announced the upcoming Bakery World exhibition, which it organizes as part of the Mandaue Business Month.

At least 45 companies from Cebu and Manila have already committed to join the exhibition.

The baking exhibition, he said, would give local bakers that opportunity to “level up.”

The Bakery World is happening on October 5-7 at J Centre Mall.

The event, which will be open and free to public, is seen to allow bakeries and relevant industries in Cebu and the rest of the Visayas and Mindanao to get access to new technologies, market trends, available products and services by industry suppliers who can help them grow their business.

“Bakery World is one of the concrete examples of how the MCCI continuously break boundaries and defy limits for business growth and development,” Go said.

Go also added master bakers from South Korea and Taiwan are also coming to the exhibition to teach local bakers about latest trends and products in baking.

MCCI has sought help from Filipino-Chinese Bakery Association Inc., president Bien Enrico Ah in putting up the event.

In the same interview, Ah noted the group had always wanted to bring a bakery exhibition in Cebu.

He is the founding president of the Philippine Society of Baking and is the production manager of Liberty Food Mart Inc.

Of the 45 exhibitors, 20 come from Cebu. These include Ngosiok Marketing, A.D. Gothong Manufacturing Corp, Treasure Island-iPak, Magic Melt Foods Inc, LTH Food Industries Inc, Fabritech/Mandaue Libertad, Julie’s Franchise Corp, Bigfood Trade & Commodities/RAC, SVI Distribution Corp, Global Pacific Distribution Corp, Virginia Foods Inc, Asian Grains Corp, Ricor Mills, Sweetlink Inc, Beauchem Thermtech Group Inc, New Datche Philippines Traders Corp, Southern Synergy Sales Corp, Asia’s Best Industrial Sales, Ever HRI Sales Inc, and DMC Busa Printers.

Among the 25 Manila exhibitors include Sealed Air Philippines Inc, Ingenti Radix Corp, Kalinisan Chemicals Corp, Bakersfield, JMCool Solutions Inc, Formway Trading and Services Inc, Heritage TPH Ventures Inc, Excellent Value Philippines Marketing Inc, and Besterm International Corp, among others.