Coffee. Coconut. Chocolate: DTI Showcases Premium PH F&B Products in Osaka

Osaka, Japan (12 September 2022) - Consul General Voltaire D. Mauricio of the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka and Commercial Counsellor Michael Alfred V. Ignacio of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Osaka (PTIC-Osaka), joined the representatives of Philippine Brands and Philippine sourced products at the official opening of the FoodPhilippines booth at the Food Store Solutions Fair 2022 at Intex Osaka which ran from 7 to 8 September.  

Organized by PTIC-Osaka, with the support of Osaka International Business Promotion Council, the FoodPhilippines booth featured an excellent curation of premium Food and Beverage products from the Philippines, namely from Verra Coffee, Cocowell, and Auro Chocolate.   This is in line with DTI’s unified strategy to support niche premium products with the most potential for penetrating the highly-discriminating Japanese market, taking into account supply capacity, quality and export readiness.  

 

The Food Store Solutions Fair 2022 was recently held in Osaka in parallel with FABEX Food Show at INTEX Osaka, the city’s principal trade fair grounds.  The organizers reported that the number of visitors greatly exceeded the numbers from the previous year’s edition, with a total of 14,015 attendees composed mainly of buyers, retailers, importers, distributors and agents for Japan’s mainstream retailing players and stakeholders. Because the event was held in conjunction with FABEX Food Show at the same time, the attendees of FABEX were also able to visit the exhibitors of the Food Store Solutions Fair. 

 

About Verra Coffee 

 

Verra Coffee is a premium coffee brand that is intent in penetrating the niche Japanese market for specialty coffee, micro-roasting, and boutique cafes market. 

 

“We partner with farmers and tribal roasters all over the Philippines, and bring their products to an international market. Our coffee is traceable, sourced directly from the farmers whom we personally know and work with. By purchasing Philippine products, you are helping provide livelihood to the coffee farmers, who are indigenous people groups in the Philippines,” Verra Coffee Founder, Vanessa Velasco said. 

 

Verra Coffee started as a project under the Center for Community Transformation, a non-profit organization that helps the entrepreneurial poor across the country. To know more about Verra Coffee, visit their website at www.verracoffee.com and official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VerraCoffee.  

MR. LOWIE ANTONIO OF VERRA COFFEE 

About Cocowell 

 

Cocowell Co. Ltd. is a Japanese company founded in 2004 committed in offering premium coconut-based products from the Philippines and specializes in coconut products with the mission of helping climate poverty in the Philippines by bringing change sustainably one coconut at a time. 

 

The company works with many coconut farming communities and farmers in the Philippines and imports coconut ingredients such as coconut oil and coconut sugar exclusively from country, as well as natural and organic cosmetics made from coconut oils. It is also committed to the environment, noting that the coconut tree naturally helps protect the rural environment, protects the lives of farmers and is good for the health. 

 

Cocowell Founder and President Yu Mizui said, “Our mission is to pursue the infinite possibilities of products made from coconuts and to share the many benefits of coconut products to as many as possible. We will continue to contribute to the healthy eating habits everyone while helping ease poverty problems among coconut farming communities in the Philippines at the same time.” 

 

Read more about Cocowell through their website at www.cocowell.co.jp and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/COCOWELL.JP.  

COCOWELL PRESIDENT, MR. YU MIZUI 

About Auro Chocolate 

 

Auro Chocolate is an internationally awarded tree-to-bar chocolate brand from the Philippines that promotes sustainability by working directly with local farmers to create fine Filipino cacao beans, ingredients, and retail products with unique and bold tropical flavors. 

 

Managing Director, Mark M. Ocampo wants to strengthen Auro Chocolate’s distribution in other countries so that more people are able to enjoy and appreciate fine Philippine chocolate. 

 

Visit Auro Chocolate’s website at www.aurochocolate.com and official Facebook  page    at www.facebook.com/aurochocolate.  

AURO CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS 

About The Philippine Trade & Investment Center in Osaka 

 

The Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Osaka is the trade and investment section of the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka City and the representative office of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry covering Western Japan. For inquiries, contact: osaka@dti.gov.ph  

CITEM Kicks Off First Digital Food Expo

A year before the pandemic hit in 2019, the Philippine agri-food sector turned in a strong showing, accounting for an estimated P6.1T to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The same year also saw the sector employ 42.7% of the national workforce. 

In the new normal that changed our lives and livelihoods forever, The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM)  tries to recapture the same momentum for one of our country's most lucrative export sectors.

 

This is made possible through the first-ever digital iteration of its banner sourcing event for Philippine food, the IFEX Digital Expo 2021, from September 23-25.

“One of the many things that the pandemic brought forth is the need to connect—now more than ever. COVID changed the way we at CITEM worked, especially with heightened activity online. With borderless communication at our disposal, we present through this expo how we can conduct the business of food in the new normal,” CITEM Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan shares.

Leveraging its access to advanced digital tools, CITEM stages the IFEX Digital Expo 2021 to provide an avenue for Philippine food brands and businesses to showcase homegrown food products and ingredients to a wider audience.

Themed “Salu-salo,” IFEX Digital Expo brings together business owners, restaurateurs, hoteliers, farmers, food manufacturers and distributors, retailers, culinary professionals and foodies. The event serves as a medium for strengthening the food community through storytelling, knowledge sharing, and creating dialogue. This year’s show features over 200 exhibitors from all over the country. There are also invited industry experts from global organizations and local government agencies who will share their knowledge and insights on trends, opportunities, and techniques related to food. Networking and business-to-business matching sessions will also be part of the online event’s features.

A Three-Day Digital Celebration of Philippine Food

One of the highlights of the IFEX Digital Expo is the launch of two online platforms foodphilippines.com and www.ifexconnect.com, developed by CITEM. FOODPhilippines.com will be the website of the banner brand for all of CITEM’s events and initiatives for the Philippine food sector. Meanwhile, IFEXConnect.com will serve as the agency’s new promotion and lead generation platform for the country’s food export industry. 

 

Expo delegates can look forward to a wide array of Philippine food product categories, including fine food and specialties, biscuits and confectionery, organic and natural food items and ingredients, and snacks and crispy savory food products.

In addition to the informative discussions, the expo is set to excite the palate through happy hour sessions such as coffee brewing. Take in the rich aromas and flavors of Philippine coffee on Day 1. Savor mouthwatering dishes as Chef Angelo Guison explores the flavorful gifts of coconut, from tree to plate, in Coco Pop on Day 2. Distinguish craft from draft with the Craft Beer Association of the Philippines and Philippine craft kings beer connoisseur Jazel Paraiso, as you sample a beer set and learn about beer-food pairing on Day 3.

Source From a Wide Array of Products at the Expo Section

The IFEX Digital Expo 2021 brings you an all-new digital sourcing experience through its Expo section on Hopin. Browse through a catalog of flavors harnessed from the Philippines’ distinct terroir and by Philippine food companies from all over the archipelago. In the three-day expo, you can also initiate business with food brands, export enablers, and business support organizations.

To join IFEX Digital Expo, register for free at https://bit.ly/IFEXDigitalExpo.  

The rest of the three-day expo are as follows:

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The IFEX Digital Expo 2021 is organized with the help of RAPID Growth, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau ( DTI-EMB) and the Philippine Halal Export Development and Promotion Board, Philippine Coconut Authority, and DTI Regional Offices.

About CITEM

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) export promotions arm committed to nurturing the global competitiveness of Philippine micro, small, and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs), exporters, designers, and manufacturers. The agency aspires toward the highest standards of creativity and innovation, and spanning industries including home, fashion, lifestyle, and food sectors.

About FOODPhilippines.com

FOODPhilippines.com is an interactive community platform with stories celebrating and promoting Philippine food. The platform is replete with narratives on food heritage, culinary personalities, and well-loved recipes as well as innovative takes on Pinoy food. 

www.foodphilippines.com

About IFEXConnect.com

IFEXConnect.com is a promotions and lead generation platform with business functionalities catered toward the needs of food exhibitors and buyers alike.The business-intensive portal is envisioned to be a sourcing platform that features digital storefronts of Philippine food exporters. Ready to serve the global market, IFEXConnect also has a business-matching facility to ensure access to and discoverability of well-loved Pinoy food products. 

www.ifexconnect.com

About IFEX Digital Expo

CITEM organized the International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines, a homegrown platform for the country’s food sector and the country’s biggest and most respected business-to-business (B2B) event for Asian food and ingredients. The export promotions agency is also in the thick of preparations for the digital iteration of IFEX Philippines, the IFEX Digital Expo. From expos, workshops, business-matching, and networking sessions, the IFEX Digital Expo will have food-intensive activities suited to the taste of anyone who's in the business and culture of food.

https://bit.ly/IFEXDigitalExpo 

Ref. Elmer Harold Grande

Email: ehgrande@citem.com.ph

Twitter: @CITEMPh

Facebook: @DTI.CITEM