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

YakitoriQ: The Newest Barbecue Concept in Town

(L-R) Ms. Judy King Tecson, Senior Vice President, BPI,Ms. Sapna A.Uttamchandani, Vice President/Treasurer, Esquire International Financing, Inc.,Mr. Ramon Sy, Vice Chairman, Asia United Bank, Cory Quirino (TV/Radio Host) ,Mr. Timmy G. Tan, Chairman SK Techno-lube Corporation,Allied Bank, Mr. Ashok Uttamchandani, Chairman, Esquire International Financing, Inc.,Ms.Tin Patrimonio (Celebrity, Pinoy Big Brother housemate) , Rajan Uttamdanchani (CEO, Esquire Financing Inc.), Mildred Caballero (President, Tradecon)

Attending  business expos and events is one good way to find out what is the current trend of the industry and innovative products and services in store for the consumer in the future.

Last May 12, the 4th Philippine Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Franchise Expo with the theme “Grow Your Business” was presented by Tradecon Inc. and Esquire Financing Inc. at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

For three days, it brought together various businesses and brands which included franchising, direct selling, retailing and networking. Randell Tiongson, business columnist and financial adviser, and Chinkee Tan, TV and radio host and wealth coach, gave motivational talks on how change in the Filipino mindset can help empower  each one in attaining our financial goals. Esquire Financing, Inc. also presented its service, providing intelligent funding and strategic guidance with its principle that SMEs should never remain SME’s because every business has the brimming capacity to become large. 

One of the highlight of the event was the unveiling of the newest barbecue concept in town: YakitoriQ!

YakitoriQ is the brainchild of entrepreneur-business consultant Mr. Jorge Noel Wieneke III, dubbed “Mr. KaAsenso” of PLDT, and known for his advocacy on entrepreneurial education for those who wish to put up their “mini negosyo” or have plans to expand their business.

Mr. Wieneke was a former advertising guy and was responsible for putting up “Potato Corner,” the country’s first flavored French Fries brand that revolutionized the food cart business. He is also a founding member of the Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc., one of the biggest franchise associations in the Philippines today, and teaches Applied Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila’s Center for Continuous Education (CCE).

The company infuses a little modification on the popular yakitori food. Yakitori is a barbeque in Japan that even with the modification is still Japanese food--- on stick, on this case.
 
For only P16 per stick, one can enjoy the real-meat YakitoriQ. One stick with rice is already fulfilling at P26 or you may want to taste the original or American version on two separate sticks with rice for P42. They also introduce chicken isaw, pork isaw and pork tenga in yakitori style.

You can find YakitoriQ starting next month in Victory Mall, MCU, Greenhills shopping center, Tutuban Center, in Food Street, St. Francis Square and Robinson’s Ermita.