UFC (food brand) facts for kids
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| Owner | NutriAsia |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1969 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Previous owners | Universal Foods Corporation (1969–1996) Southeast Asia Food, Inc. (1996–2001) Heinz-UFC Philippines, Inc. (2001–2006) UFC Philippines, Inc. (2006–2010) |
UFC is a popular food brand from the Philippines. It is owned by a company called NutriAsia. UFC first started in 1969, selling a special kind of banana ketchup.
Contents
The Story of UFC
Why Banana Ketchup?
Did you know that banana ketchup was invented because bananas were so common in the Philippines? It was a cheaper choice than regular tomato ketchup. A Filipino food expert named Maria Y. Orosa is known for creating the first banana ketchup recipe.
The First Banana Ketchup Brands
Around the same time, in 1938, another person named Magdalo V. Francisco also found a way to make ketchup from bananas. He began selling his banana ketchup in 1942. His brand was called Mafran. The name Mafran comes from the first parts of his own name: Magdalo Francisco. He made sure to register Mafran as a special brand name in the Philippines.
Later, Mr. Francisco looked for money to make his business bigger. He teamed up with Tirso T. Reyes. This led to the start of the Universal Food Corporation in 1960. Jaime Datu Reyes was the first president of this new company. However, Magdalo Francisco soon left the company because of disagreements.
After leaving, Mr. Francisco started his own new company called Jufran Food Industries. He then launched his own Jufran Banana Catsup. The name Jufran was inspired by his son, Magdalo "Jun" Francisco Jr.
UFC's Special Flavor
In 1969, the Universal Foods Corporation launched its own banana ketchup called UFC Tamis Anghang Banana Catsup. This ketchup had a special recipe. It mixed the sweet taste that many Filipinos like with a bit of a spicy kick. That's why it was called tamis-anghang, which means "sweet-spicy" in the Tagalog language.
Changes in Ownership
In 1974, the Universal Foods Corporation was bought by another company called Bancom Development Corporation.
Then, in 1996, a company named Southeast Asia Food, Inc. (SAFI) bought Universal Foods Corporation. SAFI is now known as NutriAsia. SAFI also bought the Mafran and Jufran brands. So, all these popular banana ketchup brands became part of the same family under NutriAsia.
See also
