Healthy ready-to-eat food, anyone?
MANILA, Philippines - Cristiane Smith Buxani discovered the importance of healthy eating when she realized that diet affects human behavior and bodily changes in caring for her autistic son.
A Brazilian who was raised in northern California, Cristiane moved to Manila last year to start a business that is close to her heart. For over 12 years, she worked as the marketing director for the world’s largest enterprise software outfit Oracle Corp. in Redwood City. Her husband Kiran, however, felt it was time to resettle in the Philippines where his father Kay Sham migrated from India nearly 50 years ago to build a fledgling business that is now a highly-diversified conglomerate primarily involved in sports.
Cristiane’s autistic son is now 10 and enjoying life. She feels that with what she learned in caring for her son’s nutrition, she is able to give back and share the lessons of healthy eating.
In her new role, Cristiane supervises marketing for the emerging food division of the Buxani family business. Her brother-in-law Anil and his wife Tina are also involved in developing a food line anchored on promoting “a lifestyle of health.”
It was Anil who hatched the idea of breaking into the food market after meeting Andy and Rachel Berliner, owners of the Peteluma, California-based Amy’s Kitchen.
“Tina and I were visiting Kiran and Cristiane in San Francisco when the opportunity came to meet the Berliners,” recalled Anil. “Amy’s Kitchen was established in 1987 and has outlets in over 30 countries, including Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and India. They were looking for a Philippine partner and fate brought us together.”
The Buxanis have since acquired the Philippine rights to distribute Amy’s organic line of frozen ready-to-eat meals, pizzas, burritos, lasagnas, veggie burgers, pocket sandwiches, pot pies, breakfast cereals, biscuits, cookies, salad dressings, nuts, desserts, canned soups, beans, and chili.
“We’re excited to introduce Amy’s to the Philippines,” said Anil. “Amy’s Kitchen is the first fully-integrated, most comprehensive organic food supplier in the world. We’ll start by putting Amy’s on the shelves of all Rustan’s Supermarkets. Eventually, we hope to open a chain of Amy’s cafes where everything in the menu will be organic, including coffee and beverages. We’ll offer heat-and-eat as well as grab-and-go to make things practical and convenient for customers.”
To introduce Amy’s line, Rustan’s Supermarket in Rockwell and Makati will hold a food-tasting on June 18-20 from 12 noon to 9 p.m. Another food-tasting weekend is scheduled at Shopwise Alabang and Libis on June 25-27 from 12 noon to 9 p.m.
“Amy’s food is prepared in its purest form with all natural ingredients,” said Cristiane. “No trans fats, no pesticides, no insecticides, no harmful chemicals. It’s perfect to send off in lunch bags for your spouses and children because the food is healthy, nutritious, and delicious. What’s more, it’s reasonably priced. The burritos and sandwich wraps go for about P180 apiece, the whole meals about P360, and a pizza, P399. The care I give my son is the care we give the market with Amy’s Kitchen.”
