Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), the largest Asian food service company, and Cargill Philippines, are to build and operate a poultry processing plant in Santo Tomas in the Philippines.
Cargill and JFC will have a 70% and 30% stake respectively in the joint venture which will be called Cargill Joy Poultry Meats Production, with Cargill overseeing the setting up, management and operation of the facility.
“Cargill is making additional investments in the Philippines to participate in the robust growth of its consumer sector,” said Cargill Joy Poultry Meats Production’s managing director, Paul Fullbright.
“As in many other parts of the world where we do business, Cargill can also contribute in improving the system of hygiene, food safety, and quality by operating a world class facility and by setting high level of partnership with the poultry growers and farmers. We look forward to a very productive poultry processing venture in the Philippines and with JFC.”
JFC chief executive officer, Ernesto Tanmantiong, added: “The facility will provide JFC with dressed and marinated chicken to augment the chicken supply requirements of the growing needs of JFC brands. This partnership will meaningfully benefit our customers, our operations as well as the overall Philippine food industry.
“We will continue to maintain our strong relationship with key chicken suppliers in the country and look forward to sustained long term supply arrangements with them as our businesses grow together.”
The development will create an estimated 1,000 new full time jobs, while also creating “new opportunities” for the farming community in the Batangas and nearby provinces as local poultry farmers are contracted to grow chicken to supply the requirements of the processing plant.