Universal Robina Corporation celebrates 60th establishment anniversary

From its modest beginnings as a cornstarch manufacturing plant in 1954 with the first introduced product Panda Corn Syrup in 1956, URC has grown to become one of the largest branded food product companies in the Philippines and now has a stronger presence in the ASEAN markets.

The company has also expanded its reach to include the Oceania region through the acquisition of Griffin’s Food Limited, the number one snack foods company in New Zealand and Snack Brands Australia, the second largest salty snacks player in Australia.

URC is engaged in a wide variety of businesses that includes manufacturing and distribution of snack foods, beverages and grocery products. It is also into food ingredients (flour milling, sugar milling and refining) and allied agro-industrial products. URC has also ventured in the renewables business through the distillery and cogeneration divisions.

Rooted in values of Passion to Win, Dynamism, Integrity and Courage which were espoused by its founder, John Gokongwei, Jr, the company’s key to success is to build very strong branding through a robust product innovation pipeline, consumer-centric marketing and world-class manufacturing and supply chain management.

With the vision to become one of the leading players in Pan-Asian-Oceania region in snack foods and beverages, URC now has full scale operations in ten countries outside the Philippines, and soon in emerging markets like Laos and Cambodia. In addition, URC's products are already being exported to mainstream markets in the US, Europe, Japan, Korea, the Middle East and frontier markets in West Africa, like Ghana and Nigeria.

URC has built three strong regional brands over the years; "Jack 'n Jill" for snack foods, "C2" for ready-to-drink tea, and "Great Taste" for coffee. These brands are becoming popular across the ASEAN region and have grown to represent the simple pleasures of life as well as the fun and camaraderie of snacking. Premium brands were also added into URC’s portfolio through its acquisitions such as Griffin’s and Nice & Natural from Griffin’s Foods, and Kettle, Thins, CC’s and Cheezels from Snack Brands Australia.

This occasion marks URC’s 13 years of presence in Vietnam, having been incorporated in Vietnam in 2003. In 2005, URC Vietnam started commercial operations with the introduction of Dynamite Candies as their first locally manufactured product, which then expanded to snacks (Funbites, Jack & Jill Potato Chips), Beverage (C2) in 2006 and Biscuits (Cream O/Magic) in 2007.

On top of the product expansion, the company has built three factories in Binh Duong, one in Quang Ngai and one in Hanoi respectively. It currently employs approximately 1,600 local employees.

“The 60th anniversary is a remarkable milestone of URC as a leading company in consumer food & beverage in ASEAN market. This is a meaningful and historic moment to review great achievements we contributed to not only the Philippines but also ASEAN markets in which Vietnam plays a significant role,” said Jai Gamboa, general manager of URC Vietnam at the anniversary celebration.

Regarding URC’s plan, Gamboa said, “We start the year 2017 with a stronger spirit and determination to improve our business. This year we make a change by focusing on a few but key and big initiative for our brands. We will focus our resources to our key brands C2 and Rong Do, and continue to build a strong presence in Biscuits, Candies and Snacks. We also start an effort this year in having a more positive impact to the Vietnamese community through activities that affect people’s lives. This is part of URC’s commitments to a long-term presence in Vietnam.”

URC took this occasion to introduce a new logo and packaging for all its product lines which represents a new visual expression of its corporate identity with the aim of uplifting URC as a brand that is closer, valuable, visible, and meaningful to consumers. The action aimed to show URC’s firm determination to transform itself in line with the changing external dynamics of the market and increasing opportunities in Asia and beyond.