From Manila to Montréal, Philippine food and beverage products make their debut at the 2016 Le Salon International de l'Alimentation (SIAL) Montréal at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada running from 13 to 15 April 2016.
The Department of Agriculture, through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) is spearheading a delegation comprising food and beverage producers in the Philippines who will be exhibiting their diverse food products lines at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. The delegation is also accompanied by Dr. Josyline Javelosa, Philippine Agriculture officer based in Washington DC, Mr. John Paul Iñigo, Philippine Trade and Investment Representative based at the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in New York City, and coming in with the support of Ambassador Petronila P. Garcia and the Embassy of the Philippines in Ottawa, Canada.
As a city having the largest number of restaurants per capita in North America, and having a dynamic and diverse culinary scene, Montréal provides a fitting backdrop for Philippine exhibitors welcoming visitors to the Philippine booths. The Philippine exhibit showcases quality and value to discriminating buyers and guests in a bid to seal sales and supply agreements and promote Philippine cuisine and Filipino delicacies.
The Philippine companies taking part in the Conference and Exhibit are: AMARICH MARKETING International (Monk's Blend Coffee, Skinny Organic Island Gem All Natural Jam/Spread); GreenLife Coconut Products Philippines Inc. (Organic Coconut Products such as Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Coconut Butter); Ilocos Food Products (Chichacorn, Sweet Potato Chips, Banana Chips, Sugarcane Wine); Jamla Corporation (Alfonso's Classic Tablea, Instant Choco and Champorado); JPM Japan Philippines Malunggay Eco Farm Inc (Moringa dried leaves, powder flakes, capsule, and tea);Mapagmahal Foods (Calamansi Juices, Dalandan Juices, Calamansi Extract as condiment); PEARLFOODS International Inc. (Mini-coconut pie variants, Fruit Juice with Nata de Coco bits); REFMAD-V Enterprise (Dragon Fruit, Wines, Vinegar, Ice Cream, Pastries, Soap).
All in all, 850 exhibitors from 60 countries, and over 15,000 professional visitors, are expected to converge at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. SIAL Montréal is part of the growing International Food Exhibition events of the SIAL Group that started with SIAL Paris. Similar trade fairs take place in China, in United Arab Emirates, in Canada (Montréal and Toronto) and in Brazil. In 2014, the SIAL Group launched a new trade show in the Philippines called SIAL ASEAN.
According to Philippine Consul General in Ottawa, Eric Gerardo Tamayo, Canadian food retailers have begun to orient their marketing campaigns and product offerings to cater to the expanding ethnic populations in Canada - including the growing Filipino community.
Ambassador Garcia indicated that Philippine participation at the SIAL Montréal is the culmination of a country-team effort in recognition of the discerning culinary market of Canada, and the 700,000-strong Filipino population in the country.
Background
Data from Statistics Canada puts total trade between the Philippines and Canada in 2015 at C$2.1 Billion. Exports of the Philippines to Canada for the year reached a total of C$1.4 Billion, while imports from Canada was at C$751 million. Five food groups are among the top 25 export products of the Philippines to Canada - among them are coconut oil, coconuts, preparations of fruits and nuts, bread, pastries and biscuits, fruit and vegetable juices, and processed or preserved fish products - all combining for an export value of C$148 million or 10% of total exports into the country for 2015. END
