Homegrown meat producer eyeing to expand in Vismin

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu-based meat producer Virginia Farms Inc., is now eyeing to expand in the Visayas and Mindanao markets as it looks to sustain its growth.

In a press conference Tuesday, company president Rolando Tambago announced the expansion plan could start this year.

The company is currently present in Metro Cebu through its 25 branches of its pork retailing arm The Pork Shop.

"For the last eight years, our retailing arm has seen a growth of 32 percent. We want to sustain this growth by expanding in Visayas and Mindanao," he said.

The firm is poised for expansion as it celebrates its 50th anniversary in the business this year.

Tambago said the company is targeting to expand in Iloilo, Tacloban, Cagayan de Oro and Davao.

The firm, he added, is also keen on expanding in Luzon in the future.

He said the company is going to partner with local piggery operators in the said VisMin markets for the expansion.

The company is eyeing to open up to seven branches every year starting this year.

Currently, Virginia's commercial piggery farm is located in Asturias, Cebu, which has a population of 38,000 hogs.

The company's daily meat requirement stands at 22 tons of pork.

Aside from its retail shops, the meat producer supplies meat products to hotels and restaurants in Cebu.

It was in 2008 the company opened its meat retailing arm The Pork Shop which sells pre-cut fresh chilled and fresh frozen pork meat and other farm produce. The branches spread over Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Talisay, Minglanilla and Cebu City.

Currently, the company is expanding its operation with its new meat cutting processing plant in Maguikay, Mandaue.

The facility can handle processing of 500 hogs daily in its full capacity. The company is also continuously expanding its piggery farm to meet the growing demand of its retail shops.

Virginia has been into agri-industrial business since May 1968. It started as a poultry and piggery venture by Doña Virginia Sy Chiongbian in support of the growing demand of food supply from its shipping company, William Lines.

The company grew and ventured into a meat processing production which spun off to form a separate company, now known as Virginia Food Inc. In 2002, Virginia Food Inc., was sold to Avalon Holdings Inc.

It is now focused on its swine business, as it expands its farm in Asturias and employs best farming practices to maintain high quality produce. It partners with other companies when it comes to swine breeding, feed preparation, and slaughtering of hogs and storage.