It’s a Mekeni life

How many multimillion-peso corporations can proudly say that they started out selling ice candy and eggs in the wet market?

Only a few, perhaps, and one is in the province of Pampanga, where a family with very humble beginnings was able to set up a company now known for its world-class products that are not only reasonably priced but also guaranteed to give total customer satisfaction.

From an enterprise that simply aimed to improve the family income, Mekeni Food Corp., involved in processed meat, has grown so huge it is providing  livelihood not only to Cabalens but to the people of neighboring cities and provinces as well.

Its turning point came when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991. During that time, three of the five Garcia brothers were already leading comfortable lives abroad. But when their father Felix wrote them pleading with them to come back to salvage their business and also to help their kababayans see a flicker of hope after the calamity, the five brothers joined hands and pushed their vision of helping Pampanga rise above the ashes of lahar.

Initially hiring 30 people to restart the company’s operation, Mekeni ballooned to about 800 employees today. Its distribution network has also widened, reaching not just Central Luzon but different parts of the country and even overseas.

Mekeni has consistently sought to improve the quality of their products with the aim in view of having their products become synonymous with food quality and safety.

In fact, Mekeni takes great pride in owning the first meat processing plant in Asia to get ISO 22000 Certification. Its performance as an outstanding meat establishment is also attested to by the National Meat Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture, which hailed it as the Best Meat Processing Plant for three consecutive years.

The company has already become world-class, a source of pride not only for Pampanga but for the entire nation as well. As in most success stories, they too have invested a huge amount of hard work, discipline, determination and adherence to strong family values.

Thus, the Garcia family, represented by Mekeni’s president Prudencio Garcia, will be honored by Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III as among Pampanga’s Inspiring Entrepreneurs, an award given by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship as part of the Go Negosyo sa Pampanga slated on Oct. 8, 2007 at the Bren Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando.

Go Negosyo sa Pampanga is part of PCE’s latest campaign, the Go Negosyo Caravan, which aims to bring Go Negosyo forums and expositions to key cities in the country. The Caravan has already visited Cebu, Bacolod, Baguio, and Manila.

Go Negosyo sa Pampanga is presented by Philippine Airlines, Pagcor, Globe, Hyundai, PLDT, Smart, Islands Souvenirs, Philippine Trade and Training Center, DTI-OTOP, and RFM Corp. Other partners of the event include The Philippine STAR, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Bulletin, GMA Network Inc., RPN9, NBN4, Aspac-Law, Ideal Minds Corp., The Master’s Lighthouse Foundation, and Full Circle Communications.