With over 20 years in the Food and Beverage Industry, Archie Rodriguez is taking steps to change the landscape of the Philippines’ food industry. And it isn’t the first time that the IT professional-turned-restaurateur has done so.
As the former CEO and President of Global Restaurant Concepts, Inc., Rodriguez was responsible for bringing international casual dining concepts into the Philippines. What started with California Pizza Kitchen in 1998 eventually led to other food franchises like Morelli’s Gelato, IHOP, Applebee’s, and Gyu-Kaku. Since then, he’s shifted to other industries such as alternative energy, construction, and asset management.
Then in 2018, came a delicious pulled pork sandwich. It had everything: flavor, texture, mouthfeel… except that it was made of jackfruit.
Thus, Amala Foods was born. Named after a Sanskrit word that meant clean or pure, it has a straightforward, yet daunting goal – to create a line of plant-based food products that weren’t just tasty “for something plant-based,” but were simply delectable.
“We focus on flavor and texture first, then we reverse-engineer our recipes to make them healthier, while still being comparable, in terms of protein, to their meat counterpart. Our goal isn’t just to make meat substitutes; we want to deliver d*mn good food options to all consumers,” said Rodriguez.
To do so, Rodriguez brought in Ron Lopez Davis as Director of Product Innovation. A classically trained Chef De Cuisine, Davis has over 20 years of restaurant and catering experience. He’s worked in corporate and private catering at restaurants in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Palo Alto. And he’s collaborated with internationally renowned chefs such as Jacques Pepin, Jeremiah Tower, Hubert Keller, Gary Danko, and Thomas Keller.
By 2021, Amala Foods had six initial commercially ready plant-based foods despite the struggles brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only are these cholesterol-free and high in fiber foods and iron, but the company was also able to achieve a high protein count through wheat protein and pea & soy protein.
Amala Foods has since expanded, and its plant-based foods now include Pepperoni, Burger Patties, Beef Mince, Spanish Chorizo, Minced Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage Patties, Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Patties, Smoked Bacon, Breaded Fish Patties, Chicken Shreds, Minced Pork, and Italian Sausage Patties.
These FDA-approved plant-based foods are now being used in the menus of California Food Kitchen, Green Pastures, and the UNWND hostel group. And so far, Amala has been warmly received.
According to Chef Robby Goco of Green Pastures, “Our customers love the Amala Burger. We switched from Beyond to Amala as the flavor profile resonates well with our customers. We plan to add Amala’s (plant-based) Chicken Nuggets to our menu soon.”
“Green Pastures recorded improved sales and margins with Amala,” Rodriguez beamed. “We are proud to have Chef Robby Goco as one of our staunch supporters, with whom we are working on a special product with just for his restaurant.”
This is just the first step in the Philippines’ budding plant-based revolution.
Going beyond just business as usual
Amala’s early successes shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, Rodriguez isn’t in it just for the profits.
“Food security is paramount to the health of any nation,” asserted Rodriguez. “Plant-based food is not only sustainable in comparison but also happens to be healthier for individuals and even healthier for the world. Studies have shown that switching to a plant-based diet can reduce annual agricultural emissions by as much as 60%. Therefore, an individual who chooses plant-based food at least 1 or 2 times a week helps reduce their respective carbon footprint significantly.”
Plant-based foods are often thought of as pricey and out-of-reach for the common Filipino. Coupled with fluctuating food prices and low wages, food sustainability and healthier diets are typically inaccessible to the masses.
But the majority of these expenses of plant-based foods come from supply chain issues. As with the current ongoing growth of the sector and consumer demands, productions will go up and prices will go down.
“European countries have proven that price parity, and even price advantage, can be achieved with plant-based food. Amala strives to do the same in the Philippines through an increase in production volume and sales in multiple distribution channels,” affirmed Rodriguez.
“Plant-based para sa lahat (Plant-based for everyone).”
To achieve this, Amala Foods is currently developing its new product line: Akala. With the Filipino word for assumption as its root, the Akala product line attempts to dispel false assumptions about plant-based foods by creating plant-based ready-to-eat meals that cater to the Filipino’s palate and tight budget.
“We envision Akala to be a local household brand. But with the way Filipino cuisine is making a respectable impact internationally in recent years, we believe Akala has an opportunity to take up space in the foreign market, as well,” said Rodriguez.
Amala Foods’s plant-based Tocino and Tapa are currently in R&D along with other Filipino favorites. It plans to target the mass market through distribution in retail outlets including supermarkets, specialty stores, and online channels.
“Amala aims to be a mass-market consumer product—a Filipino household brand. To accomplish this, we must ensure strong production, distribution, placement, branding, and marketing,” Rodriguez stated. “We are raising USD 1.5 million for this funding round, which will enable us to build a manufacturing facility to scale up production, secure FDA approval for all our SKUs, place these products in 100 locations nationwide, build an online presence or marketplace, and export our products to foreign markets.”
Shifting norms
For years, plant-based foods have been an easy punching bag in popular culture. Tune in on any comedian, and for sure there’s a vegan joke somewhere in their repertoire. But change is a necessity, not a fad.
“Plant-based food is not just a trend,” argued Rodriguez. “It’s an inevitable shift borne out of a necessity to consider food alternatives that are sustainable for people and the Earth. The world population has just hit 8 billion, and plant-based food is one of the best solutions to ensure that everyone is fed, and that the planet stays alive.
As education and awareness in the food sector becomes more available, plant-based food will become more widely acceptable as a norm—and not just an option.”
Restaurants and retailers interested in incorporating Amala Foods in their menus can reach out via email (sales@eatamala.com and inquiries@eatamala.com), website (https://www.eatamala.com), or social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn).