FOR its 50th anniversary this month, Mega Prime Foods, Inc. (MPFI) — the company behind the Mega sardines brand, among other canned goods and bottled sauces — tapped “Megastar” Sharon Cuneta as its latest brand ambassador.
On June 6, at Shangri-La The Fort in Bonifacio Global City, celebrity singer/actress Ms. Cuneta sang one of her hits, “Maging Sino Ka Man,” as well as the new jingle for Mega Sardines, “Pangako ng Mega,” to the tune of her own hit, “Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko.”
A new commercial by Ms. Cuneta also announced the Mega Milyonaryo raffle, which will give away around P50 million in prizes (with five winners of P1 million each).
“This is why this is the most expensive portion of the night,” joked Marvin Tiu Lim, chief growth and development officer for MPFI, before introducing the raffle and Ms. Cuneta. Marvin is a son of William Tiu Lim, Mega Prime Foods founder and chairman. The senior Mr. Tiu Lim, appearing onstage with his wife Marylou, said that the Mega gala that evening coincided with their wedding anniversary. Mr. Tiu Lim stepped down as chief executive in 2023 in favor of the next generation, with his daughter Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan taking the lead.
As for the Megastar, she said in a speech, “Sa wakas, magkasama na rin tayo (at last, we are together).”
She recounted that she had watched an interview with the senior Mr. Tiu Lim at the company’s 25th anniversary. “You’d been trying to negotiate with my team,” she said about that long ago interview. “I heard mahal ako (that I was expensive).” After thanking the Tiu Lim family, she said, “I’m very honored, especially because it’s the namesake of the title that (was given) to me years ago.”
The younger Mr. Tiu Lim said, “We’re doing this with someone special… someone who really embodies what Mega stands for.”
DOWN TO BUSINESSMega was founded in 1975 as a small fishing company. It had captured a 26% market share by 2023. According to a speech by Mr. Tiu Lim, they’re now producing up to 300 million cans of fish a day. “I believe we are now the world’s largest sardine producer,” he said.
“We will double our business every five years. It’s ambitious, but it’s possible,” he said. “This includes, of course, preparing hopefully to become IPO (initial public offering)-ready in the coming years.”
In an interview with BusinessWorld, Mr. Tiu Lim laid out the steps the company is taking to be traded publicly. “Now, we have an independent board, three independent directors; we have corporate governance in place. We have different committees. We hired a tax consultant; we hired auditors. We’re really putting in all the steps and processes that a normal publicly listed company has, but then not taking it public yet — as soon as we’re ready.”
The company is more than just sardines: it has several units like Mega Tuna, Mega Squid, Mega Prime Quality fruits and vegetables, and Jimm’s Coffee Mix. During the anniversary shindig, actor Coco Martin also appeared onstage for a song-and-dance number and to show his latest commercial for Jimm’s.
In a speech, Mr. Tiu Lim says that they aim to see 30% of their business coming from exports. In an interview, he said, “We’re in the markets where OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) are, but we want to take it mainstream. We want to target not only the OFWs, but the whole population in general. We’re looking at the Middle East, Africa; we’re looking at different areas for growth.”
He said, “Mega is now in every other Filipino household. Soon, we aim to be in every single Filipino home.”
The Medical Wellness Association in the US also recently named sardines a “superfood,” following numerous tests. Mr. Tiu Lim said, “We believe in providing Filipinos the most fresh fish available,” highlighting their operations where they can the fish within 12 hours of being caught.
In a speech, he said, “We’re not just a food company. We’re in the business of nourishing lives.” — Joseph L. Garcia
