Monde Nissin to make favorite dishes healthier at Summit of Flavors @ IFEX KITCHEN

Philippine food industry giant Monde Nissin Corporation is bringing a healthier and tastier twist to international delicacies in its participation at the Summit of Flavors @ IFEX KITCHEN, a special event featuring cooking demonstrations by local and international celebrity chefs at the IFEX Philippines event slated on May 19-21 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City.

Mushroom Stroganoff

On May 21, Monde Nissin will feature Quorn™, a range of meat-free protein products that makes just about any type of food healthier without compromising its taste. Quorn™’s main ingredient is Mycroprotein™, a naturally healthy protein from nutritious fungus that is meat-free and non-GMO. It is low in saturated fat and calories, high in protein and fiber, and has zero cholesterol.
Quorn™ made healthier Monde Nissin’s array of delicacies like the Mushroom Stroganoff, a rich and creamy vegetarian version of the Russian specialty made with mushrooms and Quorn™ Chunks. It is great for either rice or pasta, and is perfect for the whole family.

Quorn™ Greek Style Salad

The company will also prepare Quorn™ Greek Style Salad, a healthy and low fat salad recipe with fresh herbs, olives, and avocado served with a vinaigrette dressing, and Chili con Quorn™, a delicious Mexican meat sauce that combines Quorn™ Grounds, beans, and a rich, spicy tomato sauce.

Chili con Quorn™

Monde Nissin will also revamp the classic Filipino curry dish with Quorn™ Chunks simmered in an aromatic curry sauce and thickened with coconut cream.

Preparing this mouthwatering dishes at the Monde Nissin booth will be Chef Heart Alikpala, Research and Development Chef at the company.

Quorn™ Curry

Also showcasing their products at the event are Magic Melt Foods Inc., Nutri-Asia Inc., and GEMS Inc. CCI France-Philippines will also be presenting some products and its own chef from the Society Lounge and Tauro Pintxos Wine Bar & Grill.

The IFEX KITCHEN is located at The MarketPlace at the main hall of the Philippine Trade Training Center.

PHL's Biggest Food Show Opens May 19-21 at WTCMM, PTTC

IFEX Philippines rounds up over 700 int’l, local firms in a grand showcase of Asian flavors

CITEM Executive Director Clayton Tugonon gives a thumbs-up on ground and roasted coffee ATOKAPE - 100% Benguet Arabica Coffee, one of the export products featured in IFEX Philippines. ATOKAPE is made from beans harvested by local farmers from the highlands of Benguet and Mountain Province in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

The International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines, Asia’s ethnic food and ingredient show, welcomes every food buyers and enthusiast as it opens for its 11^th edition on Friday, May 19, untilMay 21 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) and the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC).

IFEX Philippines is the country’s biggest export-oriented food show and one of the official trade events of the 30^th ASEAN Summit. It organized by the Department of Trade and Industry-Center for International Trade Exhibitions and Missions of (DTI-CITEM).

Under the theme “Taste ASEAN,” IFEX Philippines will gather over 700 international and local food companies to demonstrate new bonanza of Asian flavors, product offerings, and food innovations.

The three-day trade event will also host live cooking demonstrations and seminars of food experts, artisans, chefs, culinary historians, and gourmet enthusiasts from across the globe, each bringing along distinctive product offerings, knowledge, and skills at the much-awaited gustatory fete. 

“For this coming May 19-21, buyers and visitors will saunter through a deeper experience and understanding of Philippine food through its multi-faceted origins in history, geography, and culture. It’s going to be one unique and exciting journey for all our visitors,” DTI-CITEM Executive Director Clayton Tugonon.

Gastronomic Adventure Across the World

IFEX Philippines will house four major exhibition halls, namely the Food Philippines Hall, International Hall, Food Artisans Village, and The MarketPlace—making up a spectrum of flavors from all over the world.

The Food Philippines Hall features the top and emerging Philippine exporters and business support organizations (BSOs) in the food industry. Here, buyers will be able to sift through the mainstream, as well as the latest product offerings, from the Philippines’ leading and promising brands.

Meanwhile, the International Hall presents the top food products and ingredients from top companies and manufacturers across the world. It will feature renowned firms from ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Viet Nam. Also featured are leading companies from EU and other countries, such as China, Japan, India, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey.

Enlisted in the year-long events roster of the 30^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, IFEX Philippines will have dynamic presentations of Southeast Asian food under its two ASEAN-themed special settings: TASTEASEAN Pavilion and ASEAN Top Brands Showcase.

“IFEX Philippines will take global trade buyers and visitors in a gastronomic overdrive that will not only satisfy their cravings for various Asian flavors, but also their thirst for a dynamic experience of the Philippine food culture, which had evolved from centuries of cross-cultural fusions and regional influences,” said Tugonon.

CITEM Executive Director Clayton Tugonon welcomes everyone to taste San MiguelMagnolia ice cream’s new line of products formulated from homegrown, beloved tropical flavors, such as mango, avocado and ube.

IFEX Philippines also features the EU Pavilion which celebrates the economic relationship between the Philippines and the European Union (EU) since the 1980s. It features the top brands and products from EU states, including Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, Netherlands, and Poland. 

Globally Competitive Agri-products

Buyers and visitors can also relish the various local flavors and visual treats from different provinces in the Food Artisans Village, presented by the Department of Agriculture, through the Agribusiness Marketing and Assistance Service (DA-AMAS).

Among the special settings under Food Artisans Village are the Negros Occidental Pavilion and the Mindanao Pavilion, featuring the native and iconic delicacies of Negrenses and Mindanaoans as part of efforts to protect, preserve and promote the heirloom flavors and culinary tradition in the Philippines.

Found in the Food Artisans Village are the Commodity Pavilion and Seafood Pavilion, highlighting the country’s high-demand export commodities such as tuna, rice and cereals, coffee, cacao, coconut, pineapple, banana, and mango—in many varieties and cultivars. IFEX Philippines also put up the Bread Alley exhibit to showcase the country’s rich bread-making culture.

Inspiring Food Innovations and Seminars

Another exciting special setting is the Food Innovation Gallery, which is a highly curated exhibit of products developed through the modern machinery of local Food Innovation Centers (FICs), under the Department of Science and Technology- Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI).

The exhibit spotlights the products developed under FIC’s food processing equipment, namely freeze dryer, vacuum fryer, spray dryer and water retort for thermal processing. Products developed include fruits, fruit mix, vegetables, broth, condiments, legumes, nuts, tuber and other rice-based products.

For those in want of more inspiration and adventure, the three-day export event will also conduct cooking demonstrations of celebrated international and local chefs under Summit of Flavors @ IFEXKitchen. It will also conduct free food and beverage tasting activities.

Buyers and visitors can also take part in a series of exciting and engaging discussions on the latest trends and innovations in the food industry with renowned experts, researchers and lecturers, in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB), Department of Agriculture (DA), Management Association of the Philippines - AgriBusiness and Countryside Development Foundation, Inc. (MAP-ABCDF), the Organic Coconut Association of the Philippines (OCAP), and the Philippine Wine Merchants (PWM).

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IFEX Philippines is organized in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS), and the ASEAN Committee on Business and Investment Promotion (CBIP), which is chaired by DTI.

Register at ifexphilippines.com

IFEX PHL Banners Country's Top Agri-Export on May 19-21 Show

Coconut remains as country’s biggest export product with $487.3 million in sales in the fourth quarter of 2016

The Philippines top agricultural export products will be among the highlights of the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines to be held on May 19–21, 2017 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and the Philippine Trade and Training Center, Pasay City.

In line with its efforts to promote the country’s food commodities to the international market, IFEX Philippines will have special highlights on coffee, cacao, coconut, and fruit and nut products as part of the Food Industry Cluster under the Food Artisans Village. Each pavilion site will showcase the Philippines’ high-demand export commodities in numerous varieties and cultivars.

“Through IFEX Philippines, we hope to close new deals and partnerships with our extensive list of international buyers, a majority of which are new comers to the event,” said CITEM Executive Director, Clayton Tugonon. “We are showcasing only the best in IFEX Philippines and buyers can expect to see the finest agricultural products the Philippines has to offer.”

Agro-based products contributed to 6.1% of the share of the Philippine’s export in the first half of 2016, amounting to a $291.5 million in sales. Coconut products lead the country’s agricultural exports with 34% share to total agricultural exports, closing off the last quarter of 2016 with a total of $487.3 million.

The Philippines is a major producer of tropical fruits, exporting more than 744,000 metric tons of homegrown products in the fourth quarter of 2016. Bananas ranked second in the total agricultural exports with a share of 12% and sales of $172.6 in 2016. Pineapples follow right after at 10.7% with $153.7 million in sales.

Tuna, fourth in the overall export shares with 5.5%, recorded an increase in exports by 39.2% during the fourth quarter of 2016 from $56.58 million in 2015 to $78.76 million. Other seafood products, such as seaweeds, carrageenan, shrimps, and prawns, produced $67.54 million during the same period.

Coffee exports rose by 24.7% from $91.50 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 to $114.14 million in 2016, while cacao closed off the year with $72.16 million, an increase by almost 30%.

“There is a constant increase in the exports of our commodities and with new partnerships, such as our outstanding one with Japan, this trend will only continue within the next years,” said Tugonon. “IFEX Philippines will be our one-stop trade platform in promoting our local products and building relationship with global buyers.”

The 11^th edition of IFEX Philippines will feature four major exhibition halls that will present a spectrum of flavors from across the globe.

Top and emerging Philippine exporters and business support organizations (BSOs) in the food industry will be stationed at the “Food Philippines Hall”, while the “International Hall” presents top food products and ingredients from top international companies and manufacturers.

The distinct flavors of the country’s provinces take center stage in the “Food Artisans Village”, presented by the Department of Agriculture, through the Agribusiness Marketing and Assistance Service (DA-AMAS). The Food Artisans Village includes the Commodity, Seafood, Mindanao, and Negros Occidental Pavilions.

The “MarketPlace” is a free-for-all where buyers and visitors can purchase on retail throughout the event.

IFEX will also present highly curated exhibit of product prototypes developed through the locally fabricated food machinery operated by Food Innovation Centers (FICs), under the Department of Science and Technology- Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI) at the “Food Innovation Gallery”.

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IFEX Philippines, Asia’s ethnic food & ingredients show, is the country’s biggest international trade exhibition on the Philippines’ and Asia's specialty food, with around 700 exhibitor companies, attracting wholesale buyers, importers and food distributors from all over the world.

IFEX Philippines is a fast-rising Asian marketplace where sellers of unique tropical flavors, products, innovations, and services are linked with international buyers, importers, and retailers, propelling for bigger international presence, wider variety of products, and world-class features. Categories include tropical fruits, vegetables, seafood, beverages, bakery and confectionery products, meat and poultry, Halal-certified products, as well as natural, organic, and healthy food products. It is organized in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS), and the ASEAN Committee on Business and Investment Promotion (CBIP), which is chaired by DTI.

IFEX Philippines draws more Southeast Asian buyers as PH leads 30th ASEAN Summit

Bright prospects ahead with over 60% first-time int’l buyers in PH’s largest food show

Efficient business-to-business matching program and exclusive perks await international trade buyers at IFEX Philippines.

More Southeast Asian trade buyers are expected to source the best of Philippine and Asian food products in the 11^thedition of IFEX Philippines on May 19-21 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) and Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC).

“As one of the official trade events in the 30^th ASEAN Summit, IFEX Philippines will further our aspirations toward a more inclusive, innovation-led growth in ASEAN bloc by matching global food buyers and food suppliers within the region,” said DTI-CITEM Executive Director Clayton Tugonon.

Based on DTI-CITEM’s latest tally on May 8, 23% of the confirmed trade buyers in IFEX Philippines are coming from ASEAN and South Asia; while 25% from the Middle East and Africa, 18% from Americas, 14% from East Asia, 11% from Europe, 4% from China and its special administrative regions (SARS), and 5% from Oceania.

This is a significant increase compared to the previous 2015 edition, wherein only 18% of the total international buyers came from ASEAN countries and South Asia.

“We are also proud to announce that more than half of our confirmed Very Important Buyers (VIBs) are first timers. Their presence is significant in streamlining new trade deals and partnerships,” said Tugonon. “We were able to convince them through our aggressive buyer campaign, complemented with the renewed global interest towards Filipino food fusions, as well as the diplomatic efforts of President Rodrigo Duterte to deepen the economic ties of the Philippines with other states.”

Based on the same tally, 64% of the confirmed VIBs are visiting IFEX Philippines for the first time. VIBs are representatives of established and reputable retail giants and supermarkets across the world.

Among retail giants participating from Southeast Asia is “The Mall Group,” which is one of the largest supermarket operators in Thailand, recording about 6 billion US dollar revenue in 2016.

Retail chains and supermarkets hailing from different regions also include the Hurxley Corporation from East Asia; Integral Foodservices from the Middle East and Africa; Bianca International Organic, Inc. from Americas; Migros, Albert Heijn B.V., Veld Co. and Decare from Europe; and Nanjing Grand Group from China.

Through DTI-CITEM’s partnership with the different embassies, the three-day event is also expected to host delegations of international buyers from Syria, Japan, Korea and Turkey.

To maximize sourcing opportunities, buyers in IFEX Philippines can join the IFEX Philippines Connect, an integrated business platform that matches buyers with potential food suppliers and other business partners.

Those engaged in the private label industry will also have the privilege to participate in the Grocers Exchange (GMART Program) to connect with private label suppliers.

To get a more comprehensive outlook on the Philippine market, international buyers have the option to join the guided tours on local big retail chains and supermarkets under the Store Visit Program, coordinated with the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association, Inc. (PAGASA).

They will also have a chance to win premier vacation in Pearl Farm Beach Resort, a five-star beach resort in Davao del Norte under the Luxe Escape Dream Destination Raffle Promo.

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IFEX Philippines, Asia’s ethnic food & ingredients show, is the country’s biggest international trade exhibition on the Philippines’ and Asia's specialty food, with around 700 exhibitor companies, attracting wholesale buyers, importers and food distributors from all over the world.

IFEX Philippines is organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, through its Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (DTI-CITEM), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS), and the ASEAN Committee on Business and Investment Promotion (CBIP), which is chaired by DTI.

World-class Davao Chocolate Firm Launches New Products at IFEX Philippines, May 19-21

Multi-awarded Malagos Chocolate to feature new ‘fruity, sustainable’ product in PH biggest food show

Malagos Chocolate is made from single-origin cacao beans grown on our farms in the foothills of Mt. Talomo in the Davao region of the Philippines’s Mindanao island. 

It is chocolate harvested from carefully nurtured trees and processed without the stain of child labor.

One of the chocolate firm that is shaping Davao to become the ‘Cacao Capital of the Philippines’ is launching their new line of ‘fruity and sustainable’ couverture chocolates at the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines onMay 19-21 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC).

“For this year’s IFEX, we’re developing products using local fruits to help promote sustainability and inclusive growth in our area,” said Malagos Agri-Ventures Corporation’s sales and marketing head Rex Victor Puentespina. “Ayun din naman ang campaign ng government, to help development in the countryside so we want to use local products in Davao.”

Aside from their new product line, the Davao-based company will also offer neatly packaged dark chocolates ranging from varying rate of cacao concentration—100% Unsweetened, Malagos 85% Dark Chocolate, Malagos 65% and Malagos 72%. They will also sell roasted cacao nibs and dried fermented cacao beans, as well as quality cacao seedlings, seeds, scions.

Single-origin, ‘tree-to-bar’ chocolate

Malagos Chocolate takes pride on their single-origin chocolate production or what they call the “tree to bar” process, which involves the planting, harvesting, fermenting, solar drying, roasting, and processing of the cacao beans into fine-flavored chocolates.

“Our chocolate is made from tree-to-bar. We grow the trees ourselves, we cultivate them, we take care of them, and process it to finished product - process it for fine flavored chocolates,” Puentespina said. “It sets us apart is that we have full control of our raw materials so we can meticulously watch over the whole process unlike just buying the beans from somebody else.”

Due to the quality of its product, Malagos Chocolate is currently putting Davao on the cacao world map. As of 2016, Davao is the source of 80% supply of cacao in the Philippines.

Despite its recent commercial launch in 2013, the Davao-based company has already bagged several prestigious international and local awards. On the same year, they were given the title ‘Best Product’ in the Philippines during the ASEAN Food Conference 2013.

They also won in the prestigious Academy of Chocolate Awards held in London, United Kingdom for two consecutive years - a bronze in 2015 and a silver in 2016. 

The company’s Malagos 100% Pure Unsweetened Chocolate was awarded the First Runner Up for Best Product for Food Ingredients Category in 2015 Katha Awards Food.

Recently, they earned a two-star accolade (with 3-star being the highest) at the 2016 Great Taste Competition of the UK's Guild of Fine Food, which is considered the ‘Oscars’ of the food world.

“What makes us exceptional is our new unique flavor profile. We do not intend to follow imported chocolates because we believe that we have a unique product. Our chocolates are fruity because of the influence of the environment we’re at in Malagos,” he said.

With quality and food safety as top priority, Malagos Chocolate has already obtained certifications from the Philippine Bureau of Plant and Industry, National Seeds Council, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) under the Philippine Food and Drugs Administration, United States Food & Drugs Administration (USFDA), and HALAL under the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines, Inc (IDCP).

Due to their international recognition, Malagos Chocolate is now exporting to various countries, such as Thailand, Singapore, US. Currently, Japan is their top export destination.

Puentespina shared that they met their buyers from Japan at IFEX Philippines and now they are exporting an average of 1,000 kilos of cacao-based products to Japan per month.

“Our customers now in Japan, we met them at IFEX 2015. That goes to show that IFEX is a very effective marketing tool for exporters to meet serious and quality buyers,” he said. “The event also gives us an opportunity to get feedback from the export market. Chocolate is food so you let people try it to get a very good feedback on the product we’re making.”

Sowers of hope: Malagos Chocolate Owners Charita and Rex Puentespina together with local farmers in their cacao nursery in Davao City.

Puentespina said that they work with 60 to 80 farmers in the area, depending on the season, giving the local farmers livelihood. Malagos Chocolate’s continuous growth truly gives great economic impact in Davao. For every milestone they achieve, they give credit to Davao cacao farmers.

“Our company Malagos Agri-ventures corporation is part of a family-owned grouped of businesses that have always worked with nature and local farmers. Today, we produce chocolate that is proudly Philippine-made. A single-origin fine flavor chocolate that is truly tree-to-bar,” he said.