Cebuana chef ventures into travel retail sector, launches own peanut chips brand

CEBU, Philippines - The promising tourism sector in the Philippines prompted a Cebuana chef to enter the lucrative travel retail business via her own peanut chips concoction.

Chef Marleen Ong-Torres recently introduced the "DrivemeNuts" peanut chips brand to add to the "pasalubong" choices of tourists in Cebu.

This young mom, who is a graduate of Culinary Institute of America, specializing  on molecular gastronomy said apart from taking advantage of the attractive travel retail opportunity, what she is venturing into is what she described as her "first love."

Torres is combining her culinary and visual arts talents in this new venture, as she is also a graduate of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Cebu. She said her artistic side will help the branding and visual presentation of the product.

Instead of putting her products on conventional retail shelves, Torres said entering into the travel retail industry would give her promising opportunities considering the consistent growth in arrivals.

Besides, she believes that her product lines are unique, although its main ingredient, which is peanut, is not new to the food "pasalubong" lines in the Philippines.

"Cebu has more to offer especially in the food category," Torres said expressing confidence entering into the pasalubong retail channel, the brand is aiming to hit the greater global market via export distribution network.

She said DrivemeNuts Peanut Chips, is her innovation from the usual dried mangoes popularly offered to local and foreign tourists as "pasalubongs" or home coming gifts (from vacation) to their friends and family.

At present the product is available at District 32 in Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The plain peanut chips is priced P55 while the flavored ones are priced P150.

In the next few months, her products will be made available in some major pasalubong stores and souvenir shops, as well as souvenir shelves in supermarkets, grocery stores, hotels and resorts.

DrivemeNuts Peanut Chips is made from ground raw peanuts glucose and salt. It is a thin, crunchy circle-shaped peanut chips that come in three different flavors — plain peanut chips, dark chocolate glazed peanut chips and white chocolate glazed peanut chips.  (FREEMAN)