Food supplier sees upbeat growth in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - As Cebu tourism continues to thrive, a supplier of a wide line of food and beverage products that caters to a high-end market segment remains optimistic with its operation amidst the threats of the economic crisis.

In an interview with Audrey Fernandez Salazar, the head for sales and marketing of The Artisan Gourmet Chef, she said that they continue to bank on the thriving tourism industry in Cebu.

The Artisan Gourmet Chef started operations in October of last year and serves as the marketing arm of the Cebu Country Farmers Market Inc. (CFM) which has extensive experience in running all aspects of food and beverage management systems in the Philippines.

Salazar said that currently they are looking at intensifying their operations in their commissary in Canduman which has state-of-the-art equipments.

She said that right now, they have not yet fully maximized the full capacity of the commissary as they have not yet increased their volume of orders.

“The commissary can produce more than what we sell. There is still so much room for growth for the company and we have not yet fully maximized our equipments which are geared for mass production,” added Salazar.

She said that they are targeting to penetrate the whole Visayas region and so far they have already started to capture the Bohol, Camiguin and Cebu markets despite being a new player in the wholesale food business.

She said that right now, their volumes depend so much on the orders of hotels and resorts which heavily depend on its occupancy rate.

Salazar said that February has been a lean month for them because major hotels and resorts also have lean occupancy rates.

But since summer is fast-approaching, Salazar is optimistic to get more business as occupancy rate for major hotels and resorts are expected to also increase.

“We are now starting to intensify our operations as we have also started to maximize our importation. We are not competing with lower-end brands in the market because we have our own market base but we are looking forward to increasing our hold in this segment through tapping more dealers, deli shop owners, canteen operators. We are also innovating and developing new products that can serve the mass-based market segment,” said Salazar.

This year, The Artisan Gourmet Chef is targeting to achieve a three million peso per month mark and so far their maximum sales is still around P1.7 million, said Salazar.

 The company is an affiliate of the M. Lhuillier Group of Companies, which also owns The Gustavian.

The Artisan Gourmet Chef markets and distributes a wide range of processed meat products such as imported meats, hams, cold cuts and sausages.

It also has a wide deli and dairy line, which is comprised of imported cheeses, sauces, condiments and creams.

Right now, they have started with the importation of beers from Belgium, which is part of their beverage line.

The company’s bakery line is also starting to penetrate restaurants, hotels and resorts supplying bread products like buns, rolls, bagels, pita bread and among others. – Rhia de Pablo