MANILA, Philippines – Now in its 85th year, King Sue has emerged from its humble beginnings back in the 1930s to become a sought-after staple on the Filipino dining table, from breakfast to lunch, snacks and dinner, to celebrations like birthdays, Christmas and New Year.
The king sue story
Perseverance and persistence make for an unbeatable recipe for success, as recounted by the heirs of the company’s patriarch, Cu Un Kay, a native of Fookien, China. As a young man, he traveled to Manila with dreams of starting his own business. He sought an uncle who owned a cold storage facility in old Echague. As fate would have it, he met a German national who taught him how to cure meats like hams and cold cuts. With his newly acquired techniques, Cu Un Kay started his own processed meat business with just an aluminum cauldron and three adobe stones. Eventually, he perfected what was to become the company’s premier product offering: the Chinese Bone-in Ham.
85 years and counting
What began as a small enterprise was incorporated as King Sue Ham & Sausage Co., Inc. in 1970 by Cu Un Kay’s 10 children. The corporate name reflects the family’s origins: “King,” which is the family’s surname, and “Sue,” from the Fookien term su-weh, which means small. Little did they know that the small family business would thrive and prosper through the years. It has grown into a successful company with corporate clients like restaurant chains, hotels and resorts, caterers and food cart operators, aside from supermarkets and groceries.
While staying true to its tradition of providing products of high quality and great taste, the company has integrated high technology and production innovation. King Sue maintains its market versatility of enabling adjustment and customization of meat cuts and meat products based on the specific requirements of its corporate clients, ensuring consistency, freshness and professional-grade products by using high-technology automated slicers, chopping and dicing machines, frozen block meat flakers, thermoforming machines and vacuum machines to keep the products fresh.
Strength and longevity
The strength and longevity of the King Sue brand can be attributed, first to its dedicated owners, whose passion for the business never wavered even when faced with challenges.
King Sue then managed to fit into the evolving Filipino tastes, preferences and style of eating. Take, for example, its cold-cut products salami, spiced ham and pepperoni; and frozen products like bacon and burgers, which are ubiquitous items on family breakfast tables and as the baons of kids, students and office workers. Meanwhile, King Sue’s Filipino favorites such as sisig, tocino and corned beef are among the tastiest and most convenient dishes of choice come lunch or dinnertime.
With food and family taking centerstage during Christmas and New Year, King Sue hams (Chinese Bone-in, Sweet, Piña, Pear-shaped and Hawaiian) are staples on the grocery lists of moms who want to serve premium-quality hams. Likewise, its Chorizo Bilbao and gourmet sausages make for tasty accompaniments and high-quality ingredients in special holiday dishes.
Call 881-0530, 364-5430, 376-6441 and 0919-988-9642 for inquiries and orders, check out @kingsueham on FB, IG and Twitter or email sales@kingsue.com. Hashtags are #kingsueham #kingsue #ilovekingsue #cookingathome #philippines. Also visit www.kingsue.com.