Nestlé ready to invest P2B in PH yearly until 2027
The local unit of the Swiss-based, global food giant Nestlé is ready to invest P2 billion in 2025 and in the next two years to fund its operations in the Philippines.
“This is to increase our capacities, to improve our technologies, to make our factories more efficient, to respond to increasing demands, and to better serve our Filipino consumers,” Nestlé Philippines, Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kais Marzouki told reporters during the company’s wellness campus event at the Taguig Integrated School on Tuesday.
Marzouki said that the Philippines was their biggest market among the member-economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and sixth largest worldwide.
The Nestle official said that their topline reached P169 billion in 2023, hinting that it further grew last year, when the rate of increase in prices of basic goods and services slowed down.
“It’s one of the most promising countries in terms of economic growth,” he said, noting that they have seen an average of 5 percent growth in past years.
With these numbers, Nestle is eyeing to further expand their product lines in the short to mid-term.
Nestle Group Chief Executive Officer Laurent Freixe mentioned the cold coffee space and their pet food line when asked about new products.
“Generally speaking, we can say globally, and I think it connects with the Philippines, that we believe in the cold coffee space, for instance. And I think there is a know-how there and many initiatives,” Freixe said.
“And we also believe in the potential of pet food, which is still a relatively small category but has a huge potential,” he added.
The Nescafe coffee brand is one of Nestle’s top selling products in the Philippines, while Alpo is its pet food offering in the local market.
The company currently has five production plants in the Philippines, with these located in Laguna, Cagayan de Oro, Bulacan, as well as another two in the province of Batangas.
Aside from these business-related expansions, Nestle also plans to ramp up its nutrition and physical education program called the Nestlé Wellness Campus (NWC) program, which currently covers 26,000 in public schools in the Philippines.
“Every year we increase together with the partnership with the (Department of Education),” Marzouki said, citing that they already have partnerships in schools spanning 8 regions.
“So, the idea is to cover eventually all the regions in the Philippines and to have a big impact,” he added.
Established in 2013, the NWC provides nutrition education materials and other supplies for students, parents and teachers.
The company also gives awards to schools under the NWC’s inter-school and inter region competitions, recognizing those that are deemed the best in promoting nutrition, health, and wellness practices in their communities.
