Bread manufacturer Gardenia Bakeries is beefing up bread supply in regions ravaged by Typhoon Odette, particularly the towns in Eastern, Western and Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao to avert food shortage.
Gardenia president Simplicio Umali said the company would exert efforts to provide adequate bread through its network of distribution channels.
“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 through the RORO shipping system. Additional Gardenia stocks are being delivered to Sorsogon, Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Panay, Negros, Cebu and affected parts of Mindanao,” Umali said.
He noted the need for ready-to-eat food in times of calamities and the urgency of having adequate stock during dire times.
“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,” he said.
Gardenia remains at the forefront of relief efforts to alleviate the suffering of the victims in the severely affected areas. Gardenia has been donating bakery products during times of calamities, aside from its efforts to stabilize the bread supply.
Gardenia works with the Philippine Red Cross, government agencies, media foundation 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 affected areas.
Umali said the locations of Gardenia factories in the country are strategically situated to continuously serve the 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 said.
Umali cited the importance of the company’s 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.
Gardenia accounts for more than 60-percent of the market for branded loaf bread in the country.