Ani to expand its farms and markets

To support its expansion of markets and farm sites, the AgriNurture Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries are currently listing in the Philippine Stock Exchange and will eventually launch their initial public offering to raise funds for the expansion programs.

Part of the fresh inflows will go to leasing or acquiring new farm sites in most parts of the country and expanding the market base through franchising (in carts) and establishment of initially two vegetable depots in strategic areas of Metro Manila.

These expansion programs will augment the current market aggressiveness of ANI and its subsidiary, the First Class Agriculture Corp. — which recently launched its brand, Fresh Choice Always in a recent media plant tour — which already dominates vegetable sales in SM supermarkets and hypermarkets and Makro outlets in the country.

The 13-year old ANI decided just now to sell 15 percent of its company’s shares to the public at P25 per share. Its subsidiary, FCA Corp., launched the brand Fresh Choice Always to push its products here and abroad, explained Antonio L. Tiu, ANI-FCA president/CEO.

“We would like Fresh Choice Always and our seal to be the trusted name in vegetables in the same vein that Colgate has become the generic term for toothpaste and Coke for softdrinks,” Tiu stressed.

“Our goal is to instill in the minds of consumers that freshness is just as important as price,” he added.

Having a strong brand, he added, makes it easier to push our expansion programs in the near future—such as franchising the FCA carts for better reach to consumers and setting up depots where consumers can buy vegetables that are not exposed to the elements but are not priced as high as supermarket veggies and those sold in specialty stores, Tiu said.

“Our IPO is intended to raise funds to support our farm expansion and marketing innovations so that more Filipinos can buy fairly-priced veggies without having to wake up so early for a trip to either Balintawak or Divisoria,” said Dennis Sia, vice president and chief operating officer of ANI-FCA.

ANI currently operates 10,000 hectares of vegetable farms in Tarlac and plans to expand to other farms in the country either through leasing or contract growing. Its other farms are located in Pampanga, Bulacan, Zambales and Benguet and in the south, Bohol, Davao and Jolo. Its bodega and plant facilities are located in a two-hectare property in Pulilan, Bulacan, where they treated media to a plant tour Friday.

Established in 1997, ANI produces and exports agricultural products. Its subsidiaries are First Class Agriculture, Best Choice Harvest, Fruitilicious, Nutri-licious Marketing, Lucky Fruit and Vegetable Products, M2000 IMEX Co., an e-commerce website that will soon be launched via http://www.ani.com.ph.

FCA and Fresh & Green are the biggest suppliers of fresh vegetables to SM’s chain of supermarkets and hypermarket stores in Luzon, including SM’s in-house Bonus brand. FCA also supplies Makro supermarket and other buyers.