Universal Robina

History

The company was founded on September 28, 1954 by John Gokongwei, Jr. under the name Universal Corn Products (UCP) after Gokongwei decided to construct a corn milling plant to produce glucose and cornstarch.

In 1961, Consolidated Food Corporation (later known as CFC Corporation) was established. The company's first product was Blend 45 instant coffee. It became one of the best-selling instant coffee brands in the local market, beating Café Puro and Nescafé at that time. After the success of Blend 45, the company launched the Presto brand to enter the chocolate segment in the late 1960s with its cocoa powder, powdered chocolate drink and confectionery. It later launched Nips, a brand of chocolate candies similar to M&M's. It became a staple among Filipino children.

In 1963, Robina Farms started their operations with poultry products. This marked the beginning of the vertical integration of the Gokongwei businesses, as the farms would be able to purchase feeds from UCP in the future. In the same decade, Robichem Laboratories was established for the veterinary needs of the farms' businesses. In the 1970s, Robina Farms expanded their operations as they entered the piggery business.

In 1966, SmithKline Beecham (SBS) was established. It pioneered the snack food industry in the Philippines with its Jack 'n Jill brand. In 2010, SmithKline Beecham Corporation would be merged with GSK.

In 2014, URC announced a joint venture with Danone for a beverage production and distribution business in the Philippines. In the same year, URC established a joint venture with Calbee to establish local manufacturing for Calbee products. The joint venture was later terminated in 2018 upon Calbee selling its shares to URC. Also in the same year, URC expanded to Oceania by acquiring New Zealand-based biscuit company, Griffin's Foods. This was followed by the acquisition of Snack Brands Australia in 2016. In December 2019, URC and German company Intersnack formed Unisnack ANZ, a joint venture comprising Griffin's Foods and Snack Brands Australia. Intersnack held a 40% stake in the consolidated business. However, URC would exit the venture in August 2021 by selling its stake in Unisnack ANZ to Intersnack.

In November 2021, URC entered an agreement to purchase Malaysia-based Munchy's from CVC Capital Partners for US$454 million.

In 2025, the first mini collectible toy was launched, named URC Mini World Collectibles, which is available only in select Toys "R" Us stores in Ayala and Robinsons malls in the Philippines, including Manila Bay, Cloverleaf, and other select locations.

Presence

URC is based in Quezon City and as of 2018 has 19 production sites in the Philippines. It also has production sites in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. The company also maintains an exclusive distributor presence in Laos and Cambodia, as well as sales offices in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Sports

URC owned the Philippine Basketball Association franchise Great Taste Coffee Makers which played from the inaugural 1975 season to 1992 when the company sold the team to Sta. Lucia Realty. The Coffee Makers won six PBA championships.

Notes

References

References

1. Dumlao-Abadilla, Doris. (26 April 2018). "URC names Lee new CEO". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
2. "Universal Robina Corporation".
3. "Wall Street Journal".
4. "About Us".
5. "Company Information". The Philippine Stock Exchange.
6. "URC.PH {{!}} Universal Robina Corp. Company Profile & Executives - WSJ".
7. "Universal Robina Corp.".
8. Dumlao, Doris. (October 23, 2014). "URC, Danone sign joint venture to manufacture beverages in PH".
9. Dumlao, Doris. (March 31, 2014). "URC, Calbee sign joint venture to set up snacks factory in Pasig City".
10. (September 27, 2018). "Calbee terminates joint venture with Philippine partner".
11. (3 December 2018). "Globalizing corporate Philippines". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
12. (2021-07-30). "URC sells stake in snacks joint venture to partner Intersnack".
13. Berry, Kim. (2019-07-17). "Snack Brands Aust owner and Intersnack Group deal".
14. Burgos, Jonathan. (2021-08-02). "Philippine Gokongwei Group Exits Australia, New Zealand Snack Foods Business".
15. Burgos, Jonathan. "Philippines' Gokongwei Group Buys Malaysia's Munchy For $454 Million, Boosting Southeast Asian Footprint".
16. "PBA honors founding team owner John Gokongwei with a moment of silence".