Jorge Araneta: Still breaking new ground at 90
Araneta Group chair and CEO Jorge Araneta may be turning 90 on Feb. 16, but the family patriarch has lost little of the energy and vision that continue to drive the expansion of the Araneta Group, a progressive and diversified conglomerate anchored on property development, food service, leisure and hospitality.
Just last Jan. 15, Araneta led the soft launch of World Cellar, a first-of-a-kind, wine-centric concept at the World Kitchens, located at the fourth level of the award-winning Gateway Mall 2.
Designed to be refined yet inviting, the cozy, 60-seat World Cellar brings quality wines from around the world within easier reach of Filipinos looking to discover, explore, taste and enjoy one of the world’s most consumed alcoholic beverages—while enjoying the cuisine offered by World Kitchens.
World Cellar houses a collection of up to 4,000 bottles, from classic Old World wines from Europe to New World varietals from the Americas that are curated to appeal to wine enthusiasts as well as first-time drinkers who want to expand their palate.
Araneta tells SundayBiz that his group has been able to forge alliances with wine importers who believe in his mission to bring in good wine that Filipinos do not have to spend too much for.
He says wines at the World Cellar would easily be 20 percent to 30 percent cheaper than the comparable bottles sold by competing shops.
What’s more, experts will also be on hand at World Cellar to encourage guests to discover and experience wine in a safe, rather than snooty, place. Here, exploration will be made easy, even for those who are new to wine and not sure where to begin.
‘Premium yet accessible’
The quality of the collection is maintained by a customized wine chiller system created through the collaboration of Celsius Equipment, known for crafting state-of-the-art wine cellars in Singapore, and Cellar Solutions, a Taiwan-based specialist in advanced wine storage systems.
World Cellar was designed by Singapore-based AT+Co, the same company behind the overall design of World Kitchens that brands itself as elegant without being exclusive.
Indeed,“premium yet accessible” is the World Cellar’s philosophy.
This stems from the principle to “provide the best for the most” laid down by J. Amado Araneta, the industrialist who consolidated 35 hectares of property at the crossroads of Highway 54 (Edsa) and Aurora Boulevard in 1954 to create what would become Araneta City.
His son Jorge has not deviated from this principle as he leads the team in the continuous redevelopment of Araneta City, the jewel in the Araneta Group’s crown that sees about a million visitors every day.
Under Araneta’s direction, Araneta City, the central business and entertainment district of Quezon City, has expanded to include four malls (Ali Mall, Farmers Plaza, Gateway Mall 1 and 2), 21 entertainment and leisure venues, including the iconic 20,000-seater Smart Araneta Coliseum, New Frontier Theater and Fiesta Carnival, plus two Accor hotels, Novotel and Ibis Styles.
Araneta City also hosts the Manhattan Garden City in partnership with Megaworld Corp., founded by property tycoon Andrew Tan.
Tan made the rare outing to join Araneta—whom he considers a mentor—for the launch of World Cellar.
“Nene and I have been good friends for more than 25 years. We have a great business relationship together. I learned a lot from him. He is a great businessman and my mentor,” Tan says.
“We are truly happy and honored to partner with the Araneta Group. For Megaworld, the opportunity to develop residential condominiums within Araneta City is a privilege that we embrace with pride,” he adds.
Tan has indeed come a long way from his college years when he used to go to the Araneta Coliseum, not even dreaming yet of becoming the tycoon that he is today.
“I have always been fascinated by the Araneta Coliseum. It brings me a lot of fond memories,” he shares.
Growing office footprint
While the Smart Araneta Coliseum remains the beating heart of the Araneta City, the retail, commercial and entertainment center has leveled up in step with customer demands.
The Araneta City, for example, now also hosts several Grade A office buildings—Gateway Tower, Cyberpark Tower 1, 2 and 3—that together house 31,266 workers in the business process outsourcing sector.
Under development is the City Plaza, which will feature two office towers and two residential towers with complementary greenery, open space and an outdoor concourse and amphitheater.
The indefatigable Araneta is determined to see the latest projects completed and, most likely, get started on yet another one.
Clearly, for Araneta, age is just another number.
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