Food startup offers quality breads

Leogano Food Corporation combines expertise and conscious production in creating healthy and quality breads. 

“We define what a delicious bread is by our customized process. Our flour is made in France, our ovens are hand-built and designed from Germany, our bakers are trained by a Taiwan-based master baker,” said company chief executive officer Nelson Ong. “That’s how we ensure quality control on our dough and baked goods.” 

Leogano bakers are trained by Japanese chef Tomohiro Nogami, who has also served breads fresh off the ovens of culinary haven of France in his 34 years of baking. 

With only a few customers on the list for now, the startup company strives to offer world-class quality in its three product lines: French flour, bread, and equipment. 

Staying true to the company’s conscious production, cardiologist and Leogano president Susana Ong certifies its flour as organic or chemical-free, which is used for all its breads, including loaf, dinner rolls, Kaiser rolls, croissant, baguette, ciabatta, and ensaymada.

“As a doctor, I’ve seen many patients getting ill from cancer, stroke, and diabetes because of lifestyle habits like eating pesticide-laden foods. With my visit to France and the popularity of bread in Taiwan, I realized Filipinos can also eat handy, palatable and healthy breads. We are now consuming more Western foods, but that shouldn’t mean we must stop being healthy,” shared Dr. Susana. 

Leogano makes this easier for their customers in households, hotels, and restaurants with their frozen dough and par-baked bread which are 90 percent cooked. 

“We created these products because we want to make quality breads available to all Filipinos. This is the reason why we also focus on delivering goods instead of putting up shops where only people nearby will be reached,” said Ong.

To promote Leogano breads, the company is also distributing freezers and ovens that its electrical engineer CEO helped build. Unlike commercial ovens, Chef Nogami says Leogano modern stone ovens keep their temperature even when opened. 

Despite proven tools and recipes for delectable breads, Leogano, under the guidance of Chef Nogami, finds more ways to stand out. The company believes the Filipino market, as in Taiwan, may soon crave bread in place of rice. 

“We continue to innovate according to the taste of the Filipino market. In Europe, they prefer tougher bread, but Filipinos like it soft. We are investing in research with France and Taiwan to develop affordable but more palatable and less chemicals breads—from ingredients to processes,” said Dr. Susana. 

Leogano plans to share these discoveries through e-commerce so they can have their products delivered directly to Filipino homes. The company says it is eyeing delivery services from mobile-based applications.

The company is also keen on partnering with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to train more students in baking as a foundation to whip up breads out of the ordinary.