Real Wonka bars

Did you know 1: The ice cream division of Nestle Phils. now exports ube or purple yam ice cream to Indonesia. It seems there are no such tubers grown in that country.

By the way, Nestle holds the international rights to produce Wonka bars – yes, yes, the ones referred to in the latest Johnny Depp starrer, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

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Did you know 2: Marikina Mayor Lourdes Carlos-Fernando is understandably worried. If more big shoe companies move their production base to Laguna (largely because of cheaper labor), Marides Carlos-Fernando may no longer be able to claim her city is the country’s shoe capital.

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Did you know 3: Philippine International Trading Corp. head Roberto Pagdanganan is negotiating with an India-based pharmaceutical company to set up a production facility in the country to produce drugs, the international patents of which have lapsed.

This strategy is expected to further reduce the cost of importing similar drugs from India, which are already significantly cheaper than branded drugs sold in the country by other foreign pharmaceutical companies.

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Did you know 4: Within walking distance from Citibank NA’s corporate head office along Paseo de Roxas is a huge, spanking new Citi signage on the ground floor of the Insular Life Bldg. right across the Bank of the Philippine Islands head office (read: the one along Ayala Ave. is a better location).

That’s the first renovated branch of Insular Savings Bank since Citi bought the 36-branch chain from the insurance company.

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The office of SunLife Financials’ new president and chief executive officer Lorenzo Tan is visibly bigger than the one he used to occupy at Philippine National Bank although the view from the Enterprise Center along Ayala Ave. is so-so.

In terms of size, Mr. Tan’s room should be even slightly bigger than that of his idol and number one competitor, The Philippine-American Life and General Insurance Co. president and CEO Jose Cuisia Jr.

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Chowking Foods Corp. president Rufino dela Rosa has decided on Mumbai (formerly Bombay) as the location of the chain’s first store in India. Mumbai won over New Delhi, in part because Delhi’s weather is the 40-degree range.

A landing team – made up of the team leader and one guy each for manufacturing, operation research and development, real estate, marketing – will be leaving for India next month and will be staying there for up to a year.

The landing team will cost Chowking about P15 million and is expected to make the projected opening of the Indian outlet by the end of first semester of 2006 as smooth as possible.