Century Pacific Food expands coco facility

MANILA, Philippines — Century Pacific Food Inc., the Po family-led food and beverage company, is expanding its coconut facility in Mindanao, which is targeted for completion by the end of the first quarter.

The P700 million expansion will increase the plant’s capacity by 50 percent and add new lines to the facility following the extension and expansion of long-term contracts with major partners, Linaco and Vita Coco in 2020.

The Malaysia-headquartered Linaco Group is a leading regional coconut producer with an extensive range of high value products sold in major retail outlets domestically and internationally.

It is present in over 40 countries, located across Europe, Middle East, China, Hong Kong and Australia.

Vita Coco is the world’s leading coconut water brand, with CNPF as one of its largest and long-time manufacturers. The company has produced many of the brand’s coconut products, including packaged coconut water.

Noel Tempongko, vice president and general manager of CNPF’s Coconut Division, said demand for coconut products dramatically increased in recent years.

“More and more consumers are now aware of and actively manage their health and wellness every day, and they turn to coconut products, which are intrinsically healthy, to support their lifestyles,” Tempongko said.

The expansion would allow CNPF to serve the needs of more clients globally.

“Investing in our facilities expansion is key to support our growth for both the branded and the OEM businesses in 2022 and years to come,” Tempongko also said.

In 2019, CNPF launched its own line of branded coconut products called ‘Coco Mama.’ The range is composed of culinary packaged coconut cream. The brand has been posting exponential growth since its launch, fueled by both organic demand and the pandemic.

Other Coco Mama products include Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Coconut Sugar blends.

In 2021, CNPF completed the commissioning of a 5.2megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant for its tuna and coconut manufacturing facilities. This serves approximately 15 percent of the power requirements of these two divisions.

CNPF’s biggest manufacturing hub now harnesses over 60 percent of its power requirements from clean energy sources, hydro-electric and solar.