ARC’s 10 years of valuing partnerships in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - “It’s been an amazing success story, what’s been accomplished in 10 years.”

“A milestone indeed,” remarked Edmund O’Keefe, president of Royal Crown Cola International (RCCI), at the recently concluded anniversary affair of Asiawide Refreshments Corporation (ARC), the licensed bottler of RC Cola in the Philippines, as it marked 10 years of valuing partnerships in the country.

“We’re very proud of the relationship that we’ve had with ARC,” said O’Keeffe. “This is our largest market in the world. We’re in 65 countries, and the Philippines is our No. 1 country.”

The ARC board, management team and executives with the RCCI guests who flew in to Manila recently were all brought together in an evening of thanksgiving and celebration. One of the highlights of the anniversary dinner was a celebratory toast in honor of ARC’s decade-long success and the people who made it possible.

In a speech during the gala, ARC executive vice president and chief operating officer Gerry T. Garcia also related insightful stories on the humble beginnings of ARC when it started distributing RC Cola products from its lone Pasig warehouse 10 years ago. According to Garcia, there were many naysayers against putting up a soft drink business because “the barrier to entry is so high,” and many other firms had tried in the past but few succeeded.

This partnership was depicted through the unveiling of the 10th anniversary symbolic memento by ARC and RCCI executives — a giant replica of an RC Cola crown showing a sari-sari store, a young man, and a bottle of RC Cola, illustrating the deep relationship RC Cola has with Filipino consumers. The tableau depicts RC Cola’s entry into the market, banking on great quality and a value-for-money proposition. Filipinos began craving for RC Cola, and soon it became an indispensable product in corner stores around the country. 

According to a report by an independent research company, RC Cola reached the highest brand equity index in 2011.

With the event theme dubbed “The First Ten Years of Valuing Partnerships,” Garcia lauded his team, “We are definitely looking forward to the next 10 years and more to come.”