RFM inks deal with Dole

MANILA, Philippines - RFM Corp., the food and beverage unit of the Concepcion family, has inked an agreement with Dole Philippines to exclusively distribute its processed fruit products.

RFM president and chief executive officer Jose Concepcion III said the arrangement will also allow the company to maximize the effectiveness of its sales infrastructure in selling to the retailers, particularly in the downline trade channels. 

For its part, Dole’s move to allow RFM distribute its products is aimed at consolidating its selling efforts into one major distributor to have a more cost-efficient and simpler but more cohesive sales and distribution system that should lead to better placements and sales revenues for Dole products.

Concepcion said this is a welcome development as Dole products will complement the product line of the RFM Group which are mainly flour-based products like White King Fiesta pasta and sauce, cake mixes, Selecta milk, Sunkist juice products, and Swift meat products. 

Among Dole products to be distributed by RFM are pineapple slices, chunks, and tidbits, fruit cocktail, fruit mix and juices, mixed fruit drinks, fruits in jars and bowls and tomato sauce products.

RFM earned P503.8 million last year, down 19.39 percent from the P625-million profit in 2010. The conglomerate, however, exceeded its yearend income target of P450 million.

Sales, however, went up eight percent to P9.9 billion as effective cost-management measures cushioned the impact of high commodity costs.