Century Pacific Food bags the Philippines Excellence Award - Food accolade at the 2023 Asian Export Awards
It successfully demonstrated that a new Asian brand can penetrate top global markets in a new category, establishing itself as a global market leader in plant-based canned food.
In a world where the global population has reached 8 billion and meat consumption has soared to a staggering 350 million metric tons annually, the detrimental environmental impact of meat farming has become a pressing concern. With a projected population growth of 10 billion in the coming years, the need for sustainable alternatives to traditional meat production has never been more critical.
Philippine multinational food processing company Century Pacific Food Inc. recognised this challenge and embarked on a mission to address it by entering the plant-based food category with their brand, unMeat.
The primary objective of unMeat is to encourage consumers to reduce their reliance on real meat by offering a diverse range of plant-based alternatives that closely mimic the look, taste, and aroma of traditional meat whilst remaining competitively priced. What sets unMeat apart from other industry players is its unique, convenient packaging - available in cans and pouches. This approach offers distinct advantages, including affordability, ease of preparation, and extended shelf life.
Since its launch in early 2022, unMeat has made significant strides and is now available in over 7,000 retailers worldwide, including prominent names like Walmart, Albertsons, Meijer, and HEB in the USA, Woolworths in Australia, Fair Price, and Cold Storage in Singapore, as well as Carrefour, Giant, and other major retailers in the Middle East. With such widespread coverage, unMeat is well on its way to becoming the global market leader in plant-based canned food, a remarkable achievement for an Asian company.
The unMeat brand was conceived during the pandemic through a robust collaboration between Century Pacific Food's brand team, research and development, and manufacturing groups. The primary objective was to swiftly introduce a range of shelf-stable and frozen plant-based meat products that would persuade global consumers to reduce their meat consumption by 10% to 15%, thereby alleviating the environmental strain associated with meat farming.
The result of this collaboration is an extensive range of mostly plant-based canned food products under the unMeat brand. These products have successfully penetrated discerning global retailers such as Walmart (2,000 stores), Albertsons (2,200 stores), HEB (250 stores), Meijer (200 stores) in the USA, and other mid-sized retailers. The brand is also gaining popularity in 950 Woolworths stores in Australia, along with a growing presence in Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Middle East.
Over the past two years, unMeat has achieved an impressive growth rate of close to 300%, positioning itself as a leading global brand in the plant-based food industry.
In recognition of its innovative approach and remarkable growth, unMeat was also awarded the Innovation of the Year by the Department of Trade & Industry of the Philippines and was a finalist in new product innovation during SIAL Paris in 2022. In addition to that, unMEAT garnered the 2023 Plant Based Taste Award for Convenience On-The-Go Product Category and the 2023 Plant Based Taste Award for Breakfast Product in the recent plant-based food show in London, United Kingdom.
To top it all off, Century Pacific Food has taken home this year’s Philippines Excellence Award - Food at the Asian Exports Awards 2023. The prestigious awards programme lauds exceptional products and services that have enhanced a company's business in the regional export scene.
The Asian Export Awards is presented by Manufacturing Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2024 awards programme and be acclaimed for your exceptional products in the regional export scene, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].
