- Business
- Universal Robina Corporation (URC) manufactures and distributes branded consumer foods, snackfoods, and beverages in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia; produces agro-industrial products including hogs, poultry, animal feeds, and veterinary products; and processes commodity foods such as flour milling, sugar milling and refining, and renewables through distillery and cogeneration divisions. The company offers leading brands in salty snacks (Piattos), candies and chocolates (Cloud 9, Maxx), biscuits (Magic Flakes, Cream-O), noodles, canned beans, coffee (Great Taste), and ready-to-drink tea (C2 Cool & Clean), with market leadership in several categories and strong positions in others; it also provides customized flour products and glucose and soya-based goods through subsidiaries like Robina Agri Partners. Founded in 1954 by John Gokongwei Jr. as Universal Corn Products Inc. and headquartered at 8th Floor Tera Tower, Bridgetowne, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Ugong Norte, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, URC operates subsidiaries in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and offshore entities in Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands, exporting to the US, Europe, Japan, Korea, Middle East, and West Africa. Recent developments include the 2021 acquisition of Munchy's Food Industries in Malaysia for 1.925 billion Malaysian Ringgit to bolster its biscuits category and ASEAN presence; the May 2025 appointment of Karen Ong as chief marketing officer to drive Southeast Asia expansion and brand growth; a 5% stake acquisition by The Capital Group Companies Inc. in May 2025; and upcoming launches of a new flour mill in Sariaya, Quezon, and a megaplant in Malvar, Batangas, in 2025 to support volume growth amid improved consumer confidence.