San Miguel goes plant-based

Mmmmeaty without the meat!”

That’s how San Miguel Foods described the newly launched Veega line of meatfree products—sausage, burger patty, nuggets, “giniling” and balls—that are now available in leading supermarkets, indicating that even with the raging COVID-19 pandemic, the food unit of conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is not about to slow down.

SMC chief Ramon Ang told Biz Buzz that its food business had always been innovative, thus came up with new products that cater to different segments of the market, including those who wanted to shift to a plant-based diet.

“This vegetarian line is really for people looking for healthier food options—those who are into, or are trying more plant-based diets. What we’ve observed is that usually, plantbased food options are either not easily accessible, some are quite expensive and not always suited to Filipino tastes,” Ang said.

Veega, whose protein content is comparable to meat, is high in fiber with no added preservatives, is thus the conglomerate’s answer to this demand, so that consumers can have more options. It also expands San Miguel Foods’ already extensive product line.

“With the Veega line now out in the market, we are able to cater to an even wider segment of consumers. For one, it allows us to cater to vegetarians—we hope we’re adding more convenience and good options to their food shopping. Over and above that, we’re also able to offer more variety for regular consumers, who may want to add plant-based food to their diets.

Ang is also not blind to the growing international demand for plant-based products, in part due to the concerns over the environmental impact of the meat industry and also for health reasons. The local market will likely mirror that trend and San Miguel wants to be in pole position.

“Over the next few years, more and more people will go on plant-based diets. Apart from that, there’s also the trend toward flexitarian diets, where people add more plant-based food options to their diets while still eating meat. What we hope to do with Veega is to provide convenience, availability, affordability and good taste for these consumers, and everyone who wants to try out plant-based products,” Ang said. —TINA ARCEO-DUMLAO

Aggressive Chery

With many people preserving their cash and banks being very selective about whom they extend their credit to, it’s no surprise that sales across the auto industry are down during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

But many vehicle manufacturers are trying to look at the crisis as an opportunity and adapting accordingly.

One such strategy is for automakers to focus on selling their smaller units that are more affordable than the ones that sell better during normal times.

At the same time, several Chinese automakers—who are known for their value-for-money selling proposition, along with quality that has improved significantly in recent years— are taking advantage of the weakness in the local market.

One such firm is Chinese automaker Chery, which reentered the Philippine market last year, with the Sytin family’s growing business empire as its local partner.

Biz Buzz heard that, even as the rest of the industry slumped over the last few months, Chery’s sales rose by over 160 percent. They sold 45 units in June, and this rose to 118 units last month.

And their top seller is their line of crossovers like the Tiggo 2, which start as low as P695,000 to as high as P1.3 million for the top-of-the-line Tiggo 8 luxury SUV.

The company’s head honcho, Rommel Sytin—who is having a rather busy month, with his other firm United Auctioneers just concluding a regular auction in Subic last week— told Biz Buzz that Chery’s product line was perfect for current market conditions.

“During this pandemic, people look for affordable vehicles to take them from point A to B and that’s the market we were able to penetrate,” he said, when asked about the company’s jump in sales.

And those who want to know more about Chery’s pedigree need not worry. It has a joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which assembles these

British luxury vehicles Chinese market.

And being classified in the affordable range isn’t stopping the firm from implementing aggressive promotions, as well. These include substantial cash discounts, low monthly payments, and even free ultraviolet lamps to disinfect the cars’ interiors.

Oh, and riding the workfrom-home wave, Chery is also offering home services for maintenance, so that owners can have their vehicles repaired in the safety of their own residence, instead of having to brave a trip to a crowded service center.

Now that’s out-of-the-box thinking.