Unilever Philippines Inc. Thursday announced plans to expand its Cavite facility to accommodate new liquid seasoning and food sauce formats, underscoring its confidence in the Philippine market’s growth potential.
“We’re expanding our product line, especially in the liquid seasoning format. Cooking sauces will be introduced making it more convenient for consumers, but we’ll ensure that our products are properly fortified,” said Unilever Philippines nutrition business unit head Marinelle Villanueva.
The company started fortifying some popular products including Vitamin C to its Knorr Sinigang Mix, Vitamin A to its soup mixes and iron to all Knorr cubes variants.
The move was part of Unilever’s commitment to nutrition, reflected in its “NutriSarap” campaign, which aims to reach 15 million consumers with nutrition education and the “Makulay ang Buhay” education campaign for kids.
The company adheres to its Unilever science-based nutritional standards, ensuring its products meet strict guidelines for calories, sugar, salt, and fat.
Villanueva expressed optimism for continued growth throughout the year despite a slight dip in sales in the first quarter, driven by new product formats and sustained demand for legacy products like Knorr Sinigang Mix, which commands a 70-percent market share in its category.
“Growth is very good even in an inflationary period. Knorr grew significantly [and that] comes from the consistency of the dishes prepared,” she said, adding that the company has been consistently hitting more than 10-percent growth in the last three years.
Across all categories and product lines, Unilever commands a strong presence with over 50-percent market share.
Villanueva did not disclose specific details about the expansion, but said several new products would be manufactured locally, while other products would be brought in from Unilever global.
She also hinted at the possibility of more fortified products in the future.
