Bread market leader Gardenia Bakeries sends more bread to regions hit by Typhoon Odette in Eastern, Western and Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao.
Gardenia President Jun Umali confirmed in a statement that the company is exerting efforts to provide adequate bread supply in areas affected by the onslaught of the tropical cyclone.
“We are doing our best to ship bread products from our plants in Laguna and Cagayan de Oro to typhoon-hit areas in Visayas and Mindanao. To avert food shortage, we continuously resupply goods using our large feeder trucks thru the RORO shipping system. Additional Gardenia stocks are being delivered to Sorsogon, Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Panay, Negros, Cebu, and affected parts of Mindanao,” Umali explained.
He noted the need for ready-to-eat food in times of calamities. “Food is one of the immediate needs of typhoon-affected families in, especially to those areas with no electricity and enough water supplies. Convenient and ready-to-consume goods like Gardenia bread, which do not require cooking, are essential.
Strategic facility location
Umali said that the locations of Gardenia factories in the country are strategically situated to continuously serve the Philippine communities especially during crisis periods like floods, typhoons, earthquakes and other natural disasters.
“Gardenia currently operates five bakery plants in the Philippines – three in Luzon, one in the Visayas (Cebu), and one in Mindanao (Cagayan de Oro). Our facilities are purposefully located not only for commercial operations. All plants also serve as support to other factories and markets. We can also dispatch bread easily to other areas when the need arises, during unforeseen events or major calamities or natural disasters. This way we can ensure continuous food supply, especially when it is needed most,” he explained.
Umali also cited the importance of its unique logistics and distribution systems to ensure the proper delivery of products nationwide. “Our extensive and sophisticated distribution system and large fleet of trucks are indispensable to distribute Gardenia loaves across various distribution channels all over the country,” he said.
Bread donation
Gardenia is also at the forefront of relief efforts to alleviate the suffering of the victims in the severely affected areas. Umali shared that Gardenia is also donating bakery products, aside from its efforts to stabilize the bread supply.
Gardenia works with the Philippine Red Cross, government agencies, media foundations, and socio-civic organizations to extend help to damaged communities.
Gardenia plants in Laguna and Cagayan de Oro are operating continuously and set at maximum production capacity to serve bread to consumers and provide bread donations for relief works in the Visayas-affected areas. Gardenia, the country’s largest bread manufacturer, accounts for more than 60 percent market share of the branded loaf bread market in the country.
