Home/News/Article
The delicious, fresh, and great-smelling Gardenia bread you enjoy everyday has a softness, flavor and aroma that make it a standard-setter in the baking industry. This delightfully tasty treat is the culmination of a whole company's efforts, the end result of continuous innovation and a corporate dedication to quality that is the hallmark of Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc.
A New Breed of Bread
In 1998, the Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc. (GBPI) bread-making plant located at the Laguna International Industrial Park (LIIP) in Biñan, Laguna started commercial operations with a traditionally healthy white bread recipe created by renowned American baker Horatio Sye Slocumm, more popularly known as "Uncle Slocumm". Gardenia, a unit of the Singapore-based Gardenia International Pte. Ltd. of the QAF Ltd. group, entered the market with the Classic White Bread loaf in the 600g and 400g sizes.
Driven by its vision to become "The premier company in the baking industry", Gardenia continues to be guided by its four ingredients of success namely: best quality PRODUCTS made with premium ingredients and exclusive formulas, a world-class bread manufacturing PLANT running on an internationally developed PROCESS, and a dynamic organization made up of PEOPLE with an untiring passion for growth, innovation and consumer orientation. These 4Ps, product, plant, process, and people are Gardenia's pillars of success as shown in its past ten years.
Quality and Freshness Come First
What makes Gardenia products synonymous to good bread?
Gardenia continues to offer a definitive bread experience with its high-quality products by not just utilizing the superior ingredients in baking from all over the world, but having unique formulations as well.
When Gardenia first came in the market, consumers were surprised at how delicious and fresh their white loaf bread was. To satisfy consumers with delicious and great tasting bread, Gardenia offers the "masarap kahit walang palaman" breads. Bread should taste good on its own without spread or filling. Apart from good taste, Gardenia is highly committed to bring fresh products to the Filipino people. Each product is freshly baked everyday. It is not enough to rely on the "best before" expiry date on the bread pack. Gardenia ensures that the bread you buy is fresh, and "fresh" means newly delivered.
You can also vouch on the softness of Gardenia breads, roll or fold it and it won't even break. The irresistible oven-baked aroma is another trademark of Gardenia breads to achieve consumer satisfaction.
Being delicious is not enough. Gardenia products are nutritious too, enriched and fortified with vitamins and minerals, are zero trans fat, cholesterol- and bromate-free, and even exceed DOH requirements.
Surely, Gardenia breads have the qualities of good bread, exactly what consumers look for. It has the good taste, freshness, freshly baked aroma, softness, and nutritive value that are truly worth the world-class experience.
The Art of Baking is Now a Science: High Technology Plant, an International Process
The world-class quality of Gardenia products are made possible with its state-of-the-art'that is the most advanced, large-scale'bread manufacturing plant in the country today. To provide great tasting, safe-to-eat and freshly delivered bread everyday, the sophisticated manufacturing plant is partnered with modern, high technology baking process.
The company's plant facility is a major advancement in the way Gardenia bread is baked in the Philippines. It features advanced equipment that meet international baking industry standards. Machines from Germany, Holland, UK, and the USA attest to this plant's exceptional quality and world-class superiority.
To be able to consistently bake bread of high quality on a daily basis, GBPI implemented current Good Manufacturing Processes (cGMP) and followed the highest standards for food quality and safety through International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) practices.
Only the finest quality ingredients available in the local and international market are used to produce world-class bread. Gardenia assures that all the ingredients are tightly packed upon delivery. Gardenia uses the Just-in-Time System that ensures the freshness of all the ingredients and raw materials usedNext step would be the Material Handling System. It is a computer-controlled system that accurately dispenses the major ingredients directly into the Sponge and Dough Mixers. Here, large volumes of raw materials are thoroughly mixed to achieve the desired consistency.
The dough is automatically divided, rounded and molded, placed in individual pans, then went through a humidity- and temperature-controlled race track-type conveyorized proofer. This process is responsible for Gardenia bread's unique softness, special flavor, and enticing aroma. The dough is then sent through the Tunnel Oven that spans about the length of a basketball court. Gardenia's ovens use indirect firing system that ensures even baking between loaves of bread. Then, the freshly baked breads pass through the giant Cooling Towers. These impressively large Capcool units, about eight meters high, are the only ones in the country, specifically designed to cool the bread in stages and help maintain its freshness, before each bread heads toward the automated slicing and machine packaging section of the plant.
The G-lock, which contains production-tracking codes, the price and the expiry date, is then clipped on each bread pack to seal its freshness and great taste. Baked breads also pass through the metal detector system to guarantee that there is no metal contaminant.
After the bread is baked and packed, Gardenia's efficient delivery comes into play. Gardenia delivery vans and trucks leave from the largest bread distribution center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to deliver freshly baked breads to supermarkets, groceries, community, and convenience stores.
Throughout the whole process, each step is closely monitored by highly trained, quality control bread experts. As a result, Gardenia's loaf breads are baked practically "untouched by human hands", a feat that is unmatched by other local bakeries.
Major Driver of the Baking Industry
Doing things differently, or doing things better, is the key to achieving market penetration faster and with high impact. Without the need for media advertising, Gardenia changed packaging and merchandising practices, from the boring boxed-like packaging to very bright and colorful labels, and from traditional horizontal presentation on shelves to radical upright merchandising display. With this marketing strategy, Gardenia loaves were literally standing out on the display shelves.
Another Gardenia innovation is the G-lock system. An integral part of Gardenia's quality control system, this resealable clip is color-coded to indicate the day that the bread is baked for. It also contains all of its vital information such as the "Best Before" date, the plant the bread is baked, a production code, and the suggested retail price. The G-lock has a specific color for a particular day to let the consumer know when the bread is delivered instead of just when it will expire. The corresponding G-lock colors with its delivery day are as follows: Tan (Monday), Orange (Tuesday), Yellow (Wednesday), Blue (Thursday), Green (Friday), Red (Saturday), and White (Sunday). With this system, which is not practiced by other bread suppliers, only fresh bread is kept in store shelves, while unsold bread is pulled-out every day of delivery,
To meet the changing lifestyles and tastes of the Filipino consumers, GBPI has continued to introduce new and exciting product. From the Classic White Bread, Gardenia now offers an amazing array of bread products. From delicious creations like the California Raisin Loaf, Chocolate Chip Loaf to healthy breads such as High Fiber Wheat Bread, Whole Wheat Bun, heart-friendly Honey Oat Loaf, Sugar-Free 12-Grain Loaf and creamy High Calcium Milk bread to the unique Double Delights Ube-Cheese and Choco-Mocha, all-time staple Pan de Sal, wonderful Mini Wonders, to special Toasts, soft and moist Muffins, enjoyable Twiggies Snack cakes, and filling Fun Buns, the company has truly evolved to a creative master baker.
Expanding its Reach, Growing the Business
Gardenia's efficient delivery system, which initially focused on covering the Greater Manila Area and the nearby regions, now reaches the northern-most cities of Luzon. Freshly baked Gardenia breads are now enjoyed in Baguio, Cagayan Valley, Nueva Vizcaya, even reaching the farthest city of Tuguegarao. In the northwest, Gardenia's distribution goes all the way to Laoag City in Ilocos Norte, even treating the people in Ilocos Sur and Abra. While down south, Gardenia has already made inroads to the Bicol Region. In the Visayas, Gardenia is enjoyed on the beaches of Boracay and in the cities of Roxas and Iloilo in Panay. These fresh-baked treats even reach all the way to Bacolod City in Negros Province, as Gardenia delivery trucks travel on the nation's Nautical Highway using the Roll-On-Roll-Off (RO-RO) shipping network.
Apart from covering greater parts of the country, there is an increasing demand for innovative bread products, which has required GBPI to expand its plant in Laguna. It now has the capability of producing 200,000 loaves and 200,000 buns per day from its four production lines. Its annual capacity is currently at 100 Million loaves of breads and buns. And each time the plant grows, it also generates hundreds of jobs for the local workforce.
As Gardenia marks its 10th year in the industry, there are plans for continuous growth and expansion. Gardenia now leaps forward to a new ball game. Gardenia plans to construct and operate a Gardenia bakery in the south to serve the Visayas and Mindanao markets. They now aim to be the premier company, not just in the baking industry, but also in the related food and beverage industries. All of these are designed to meet and serve the ever-increasing demands of the Filipino consumer.
The Secret to Gardenia's Success
Gardenia's continued growth and product innovations have resulted in a show of appreciation not normally given to local bread manufacturers. Gardenia has been feted with several awards: the Superbrand status for three consecutive years by Superbrand Asia; the "Outstanding Bread Manufacturer" by the Consumers Union of the Philippines going on four straight years.
Over the years, the company has exceeded industry expectations. Gardenia has already posted record sales of PhP 1.6 B in 2007. And the company now controls over 60 per cent of the branded loaf bread market and more than 40 per cent of the total bread market in Metro Manila. The key secret to success is also one of its key foundations: its People.
At the helm is a true bread lover, the President and General Manager Simplicio P. Umali Jr. believes that the Gardenia's success is brought about by the dedication and commitment of each member of the Gardenia family. 'These dedicated individuals are the driving forces that propel Gardenia to be the No. 1,' Umali shared in an interview. He added that every employee believes in the individual motto, "Best Quality Begins with Me".
Constantly challenging the team to achieve more establishes an atmosphere of excellence, creative innovation and cooperation in the company. Gardenia's involvement in the professional growth of its employees has resulted in even better products for the Filipino people. Continuous training, in-depth knowledge of the latest industry breakthroughs and an enriched personal life have made Gardenia's personnel the major contributors in the company and active members of the community.
Extending the Success
From seven trucks ten years ago to a network of more than 175 delivery vans and trucks at present, Gardenia is now the most widely distributed loaf bread in the country. Its success is owed to the Filipino consumers who continuously patronize their bread products.
Gardenia's accomplishment is made possible with the help of its trade partners, suppliers, and stakeholders who share their passion of delighting Filipino consumers with best quality bread products. With their collective efforts, Gardenia has been able to make better products available to the market.
Absolutely, in the next decades to come, Gardenia will not just continue to bring freshly baked, great tasting, oven baked aroma, soft, and nutritious bread, but also providing other food and beverages related products to the delight of the Filipino people.