Local Farmers Unlock New Farming Strategies at Jollibee Group Foundation’s Journey to Growth Forum

JGF President Gisela Tiongson led the team in facilitating learning sessions, focus group discussions, and strategic business planning.

Agro-entrepreneurs make many decisions and conduct business in large part by embracing new technologies and practices and adjusting to the constantly shifting market conditions. Through the recently held Journey to Growth Forum, the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF), the social development arm of the Jollibee Group, facilitates the continued growth of these agro-entrepreneurs. The Forum seeks to improve smallholder farmers' strategic thinking so they can keep developing their abilities and broaden their scope, paving the way for a secure future for agro-entrepreneurs.

Farmers, cooperatives, associations, local government entities, and partner organizations came together in a spirited manner at the Forum. It included lively agri-innovation learning sessions, the most recent business news, focus groups, and workshops on strategic business planning. All of these activities were intended to give attendees the skills and information they needed to succeed in the modern agricultural environment.

By offering leadership and agro-entrepreneurship training that expands their knowledge and skills, JGF's Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP) enables smallholder farmers to prosper as agro-entrepreneurs and achieve economic independence. 

“The Journey to Growth Forum not only strengthened our relationship with partner farmers but also provided an ideal avenue for them to learn best practices and discover solutions to existing farming challenges. We hope to aid our farmers in achieving sustainable growth by continuously providing workshops and training on leading edge and innovative approaches.” ~Gisela Tiongson, JGF President 

Leadership and expertise

Engaging conversations on important subjects like customer service, supply assurance, operational efficiency, financial strength, sustainability, and leadership were led by experts from Jollibee Group's global divisions, including Procurement, Insurance and Risk Management, Finance, Sustainability and Public Affairs, and the Data Office.

Jollibee Group’s Global Chief Business Support Officer William Tan Untiong has shared that the FEP farmers have already fulfilled 90% of the company’s onion requirement as early as the second quarter of 2024

Through breakout sessions, participants discussed challenges and devised viable solutions for better produce and sustainable farming practices.

The Foundation invited business leaders to share state-of-the-art perspectives on agri-innovations in order to increase the impact.  Miguel Garcia, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation's (PDRF) Junior Operations Center Supervisor, talked about getting ready for any potential upcoming La Nina. 

Dr. Dionisio Bucao of Mariano Marcos State University contributed to the body of knowledge by emphasizing the vital role that healthy soil plays in sustainable farming. Arjay Aquino of Central Luzon State University provided practical methods for restoring healthy soil, ensuring that farmers have access to the most recent sustainable techniques.

About Jollibee Group 

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. Its mission is to serve great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone through its 18 brands with over 6,900 stores across 32 countries. 

The Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); four franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand. JFC also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.

The Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 92% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. The Jollibee Group has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. The Company also established a joint venture company that will own and operate Tiong Bahru Bakery and Common Man Coffee Roasters in the Philippines. Recently, the Jollibee Group signed agreements to own 10% ownership in Botrista, a leader in the beverage technology space. The Company also owns a 90% participating interest in Titan Dining Partners II Ltd to further grow Asia Pacific food service brands and/or bring strong global food service brands to Asia Pacific.

The Jollibee Group has launched its global sustainability agenda dubbed Joy for Tomorrow, which aims to strengthen the Company’s commitment to sustainable business practices. The agenda centers on the key pillars of Food, People, and Planet, and consists of 10 focus areas namely: food safety, food quality, nutrition & transparency, employee welfare, farmers livelihood, community support, good governance, packaging & recycling, waste reduction, and energy & water efficiency. Each focus area sets goals and initiatives that contribute and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

The Jollibee Group was named the Philippines' Most Admired Company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies and among the World's Best Employers and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. The Company is also a three-time recipient of Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award and was recently cited in TIME’s List of the World’s Best Companies and Fortune’s Southeast Asia 500 List.

To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com

Jollibee Foods Corporation, JGF Partner with YouthWorks PH to Help Youth Become Job-ready

A greenlight for the youth. (L-R) Justine Raagas, the Philippine Business Education Executive Director; Paulette Liu, Primary Structures Educational Foundation, Inc. – School of Knowledge for Industrial Labor, Leadership and Service President; Gisela Tiongson, Jollibee Group Foundation President; Ruth Angeles, Chief Human Resources Officer, Jollibee Foods Corporation Philippines; Anabelle Gosioco, Assistant Vice President, Head HR – Jollibee; Rhea Santos, Assistant Vice President, Head HR – Chowking; and Mary Ann Lim, Assistant Vice President, Head HR – Greenwich join the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement and memorandum of understanding for the YouthWorks PH program last June 6.

The Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) and its social development arm, Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF), have partnered with the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a training program under its workforce development initiative, YouthWorks PH, in an effort to increase opportunities for youth employment in the nation. 

Partners in full force. Representatives from the Jollibee Foods Corporation and Jollibee Group Foundation, together with the team from Philippine Business Education and the United States Agency for International Development, form a handshake chain after sealing the partnership for the YouthWorks PH project.

On June 6, representatives from PBEd, USAID, Primary Structures Educational Foundation, Inc. - School of Knowledge for Industrial Labor, and JFC business units joined the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement and memorandum of understanding for the YouthWorks PH program. JGF's President Gisela Tiongson and Jollibee Foods Corporation Philippines' Chief Human Resources Officer Ruth Angeles also attended.

Training for their future. Through the YouthWorks PH project, those who are considered NEET can soon undergo free senior crew skills training that will equip them with the right competencies and experience to secure a job in the food and beverage sector. 

Working with the government, different industries, and academia, the program aims to make education and training more responsive to the demands of the economy by giving youth who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) opportunities.

“Youth unemployment is at 11.2%, even while we experience a high number of vacancies in different industries. But we want to change this by bringing all our strengths together. Our partnership for the YouthWorks PH program is anchored on our shared commitment with JFC to support underprivileged youth to gain access to relevant education and eventually have an opportunity to improve their lives with gainful employment.” ~Gisela Tiongson, JGF President

A Joyful Training

Start of the journey. The classroom training for the pilot batch of the Jollibee Group Foundation and YouthWorks PH Program officially commenced on July 1 in Cebu. The trainees will have two months of classroom training before starting their supervised industry learning in select Jollibee, Chowking, and Greenwich stores.

NEETs will soon have the opportunity to participate in free senior crew skills training through the YouthWorks PH project. This training will give them the knowledge and experience they need to land a job in the food and beverage industry. 

 

The program's pilot batch, consisting of 26 NEET youth in Cebu City, will be led by JFC. JFC and JGF will pay the participants' training expenses, training allowances, and housing in addition to offering work-based training and pre-employment support in a few Jollibee, Chowking, and Greenwich locations.

“We are elated to see the pilot batch of 26 out-of-school youth in Cebu City jump-start this opportunity. This project is a testament to what we can achieve when we break down silos and work together. When government, businesses, educators, and communities join forces, we can empower young people, unlock their potential, and build a brighter future for all.” ~Justine Raagas, PBEd Executive Director

Sharing the joyful experience 

 

As part of their commitment to the community support focus area under their global sustainability agenda, Joy for Tomorrow, JFC and JGF launched this initiative.   

“In JFC, we Choose Joy, and part of a joyful experience is being able to create a positive influence on the lives of others. We are looking forward to the successful pilot implementation of this initiative in JFC and hoping to replicate the initiative in other areas to be able to reach more youth.” ~Ruth Angeles, Jollibee Foods Corporation Philippines’ Chief Human Resources Officer 

The partnership followed the Company's fruitful collaborations with the Department of Labor and Employment under the latter's Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) and with several local governments to offer employment opportunities for the elderly and people with disabilities. The aim of all these programs is to increase work prospects for Filipinos nationwide.

About Jollibee Group 

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. Its mission is to serve great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone through its 18 brands with over 6,900 stores across 33 countries. 

 

The Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); four franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand. JFC also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.

 

The Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 92% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. The Jollibee Group has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. The Company also established a joint venture company that will own and operate Tiong Bahru Bakery and Common Man Coffee Roasters in the Philippines. Recently, the Jollibee Group signed agreements to own 10% ownership in Botrista, a leader in the beverage technology space.  The Company also owns a 90% participating interest in Titan Dining Partners II Ltd to further grow Asia Pacific food service brands and/or bring strong global food service brands to Asia Pacific.

 

The Jollibee Group has launched its global sustainability agenda dubbed Joy for Tomorrow, which aims to strengthen the Company’s commitment to sustainable business practices. The agenda centers on the key pillars of Food, People, and Planet, and consists of 10 focus areas namely: food safety, food quality, nutrition & transparency, employee welfare, farmers livelihood, community support, good governance, packaging & recycling, waste reduction, and energy & water efficiency. Each focus area sets goals and initiatives that contribute and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

 

The Jollibee Group was named the Philippines' Most Admired Company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies and among the World's Best Employers and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. The Company is also a three-time recipient of Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award and was recently cited in TIME’s List of the World’s Best Companies and Fortune’s Southeast Asia 500 List.

 

To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com

Jollibee Group Foundation, DOST Partner to Elevate Lives and Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers

Partnership for Agro-Entrepreneurship. The MOU signing was held at the DOST-PCAARRD Innovation and Technology Center in the presence of (seated, from left): (place names in this sequence for easier read) JGF Executive Director Gisela Tiongson (seated, third from left); JGF Senior Program Manager Ma Laize Ar Cruzat (seated, fourth from left); DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora (seated, second from left); and DOST Undersecretary Leah J. Buendia (seated, first from left). Behind them are (can we make a generic description to acknowledge the other people in the photo).

Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF), the social development arm of Jollibee Group, and the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which aims to further enrich their efforts in developing the entrepreneurial capacity of smallholder producers and link to agriculture value chains. 

 

“This partnership is an important milestone for farmer entrepreneurs. PCAARRD’s expertise in research and development in agriculture will surely help create access to more technologies that can enhance farmers’ livelihood to become more profitable.” ~Gisela Tiongson, Executive Director of JGF

 

The agreement between DOST-PCAARRD and JGF focuses on further promoting sustainable agricultural practices through technology transfer, access to knowledge, and tools to enhance productivity. It also aims to improve research and development activities to bring forth science and technology-based solutions for agri-aqua enterprises. The program also includes networking and market linkages to ensure the viability of agro-enterprises. 

“We believe that this partnership for agro-entrepreneurship will strengthen PCAARRD’s efforts in addressing technology gaps to improve quality and productivity, as well as in building the capacities of farmer groups and partner LGUs to provide opportunities to tap institutional markets. We are also certain that this will pave the way to strengthen the implementation of projects and activities with the end goal of achieving JGF’s mission and PCAARRD’s mandates.” ~Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, DOST-PCAARRD Executive Director

 

This initiative also supports JGF’s Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP), which empowers and helps smallholder farmers sharpen their technical and business acumen, as well as partnership-building skills. FEP uses the Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach to assist farmer groups supplying Jollibee Group and other markets.

 

To date, Jollibee Group has accredited 18 farmer groups across the country that supply more than 9,000 metric tons of vegetables to the company, which accounts for more than P360 million in total sales.

About Jollibee Group

Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. Its mission is to serve great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone through its 17 brands with close to 6,500 stores across 34 countries including the Philippines, United States, Canada, the People's Republic of China, United Kingdom, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, and Australia. 

The Jollibee Group has eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); five franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, PHO24, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee and PHO24; and 51% ownership of Milksha, a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand. 

The Jollibee Group, through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 90% participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the Tim Ho Wan brand. The Jollibee Group has a joint venture with the THW Group to open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. It also has a business venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual restaurant business in the United States.

The Jollibee Group has launched its global sustainability agenda dubbed Joy for Tomorrow, which aims to strengthen the company’s commitment to sustainable business practices. The agenda centers on the key pillars of Food, People, and Planet, and consists of 10 focus areas namely: food safety, food quality, nutrition & transparency, employee welfare, farmers livelihood, community support, good governance, packaging & recycling, waste reduction, and energy & water efficiency. Each focus area sets goals and initiatives that contribute and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

The Jollibee Group was named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies and among the World's Best Employers and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes. The company is also a two-time recipient of Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award, making it the only Philippine-based company to receive the distinction. 

To learn more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com

Jollibee Group Foundation’s Coin Banks Go Online to Feed More Families



It has been almost 3 months since the lockdown in most cities in the Philippines, in response to many families going hungry this COVID-19 pandemic, the Jollibee Group has been providing food to frontliners and affected families through its FoodAID Program. To give the public a convenient way to help feed even more families, the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) is now taking the coin banks that used to be found only on the counters of Jollibee Group stores and making them available online for the first time.

“We remain committed to continue extending a helping hand, and this time, the public can actively take part in this initiative.” ~Gisela Tiongson, Jollibee Group Foundation Executive Director

The coin banks used to be found only inside the branches of Jollibee, Chowking, Mang Inasal, Greenwich, Burger King, Red Ribbon, Pho24, and Highlands Coffee. Now, these coin banks may also be found online via the www.jollibeefoundation.org website so customers can donate via PayMaya and do bank account transfers from anywhere around the country and the world.

 

Donations through the digital coin bank will be used to bring food packs directly to the doorsteps of families in need through the help of non-governmental organization (NGO) partners of JGF. The online coin bank program is on top of Jollibee Group’s P220 million-worth of food donations that have already served over 3.8 million meals to frontliners and families in need since March this year.

 

To help raise awareness for the digital coin bank and the thousands of families it will be able to help, Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid will be contributing her talent via a free online concert called “Regine: Joy from Home.”  The concert can be streamed on the Jollibee Facebook Page and on the Jollibee Studios YouTube Channel on June 7, Sunday, at 8 in the evening.

 

The “Regine: Joy from Home” concert will treat viewers and their families to a night of beautiful music and stories of hope, courage, and bayanihan. This musical event will offer Filipino families an opportunity to bond together over songs and stories that can help them cope through these times, as well as provide them with a safe and convenient platform to extend help to families in need by donating to the Jollibee Group coin bank.

 

For interested donors, they may donate through online bank transfer to the Foundation’s Metrobank (Acct. No: 473-7-473-01406-4; Swift Code: MBTCPHMM) and RCBC (Acct. No. 1253-10519-0) accounts, or via PayMaya (http://pymy.co/Jollibee).