For 20 years now, Jolly Food Line has become a staple in most Filipino homes, with its canned mushroom and corn products enjoying the top spot in their respective categories in the market.
What started as a humble stall in Binondo has become a top-of-the-mind brand with the widest offering of canned vegetables and fruits.
“We are happy with what we have achieved. We are a strong number one for the canned mushroom and corn lines. But we know we can do so much more with innovation,” Abbie Ng-Reyes, Jolly’s assistant vice president for marketing, told Manila Standard in an interview.
“The Philippines is a small-sized market. We want to make our products more affordable to penetrate and reach a wider market share. So in the coming months, we will be releasing Jolly products in pouches and foil packs,” she added.
Jolly is the first brand owned by homegrown firm Fly Ace Corporation, which now handles more than three dozen brands, including Doña Elena for its Mediterranean products and Good Life for its Chinese line.
Jolly has enjoyed double digit growth over the past years, with consumers mainly from middle-income households.
“What sets Jolly apart as a brand is our consistency in coming up with high quality products sold at affordable prices. We have introduced a wide array of products that cater to the evolving consumer landscape and are widely available in most channels,” Ng-Reyes said.
Part of the company’s effort to mainstream its products further is to tap television host and actress Maine Mendoza as its celebrity endorser.
“Jolly mushrooms are really my favorite. I eat mushrooms for merienda,” Mendoza said.
Ng-Reyes described Mendoza, an HRM graduate herself, as “having the jolliest personality among our young artists today who is also very comfortable in the kitchen.”
“Maine’s fun-loving spirit, bubbly personality, as well as inspirational achievements in life make her the fitting choice as brand ambassador to represent the positive, unstoppable energy of today’s younger generation,” Fly Ace President Lucio Cochanco Jr. said.
Cochanco said in keeping with the company’s expansion efforts, it has set up three state of the art temperature-controlled facilities in Novaliches, Cebu and Davao City to ensure the highest quality for its canned products.
Aside from consistent brand leadership, Jolly has also launched several programs to help both budding professional chefs and at-home chefs.
These include the Jolly University, the brand’s campus-wide culinary search and food business and entrepreneurship training program for the youth, and a digital library of easy to prepare, cost-efficient recipes through the Jolly Eats Facebook page.
Jolly also attempted to achieve a Guinness World Record for the largest serving of sautéed mushrooms during the History Con 2016 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
“Our parents taught us the values of integrity, discipline, and to have the entrepreneurial spirit in doing our business. This is the backbone of how we manage our brands and Fly Ace Corporation,” Cochanco said.
“We will continue to be the leader in making Filipino household meals nutritious and cost efficient for the next 20 years and beyond. We aim to make the Jolly brand fly greater heights,” he added.
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