Universal Robina facts for kids
Logo used since 2016
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Trade name
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Universal Robina |
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Formerly
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Universal Corn Products, Inc. (1954–1966) |
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| Traded as | PSE: URC |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Predecessor | Consolidated Foods Corporation (1961–1974) / CFC Corporation (1974–2010) |
| Founded | September 28, 1954 |
| Founder | John Gokongwei Jr. |
| Headquarters | 6/F Tera Tower, Bridgetowne, E. Rodriguez, Jr. Avenue, Barangay Ugong Norte,
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Philippines
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Area served
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Asia |
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Key people
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| Products | Confectionery, snack foods, grocery and convenience foods, beverages, animal feeds and other agriculture-based products |
| Revenue |  ₱2.9 billion (2022) |
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Operating income
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₱4.0 billion (2022) |
 ₱−13.4 billion (2022) |
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| AUM | ₱64.8 billion (2020) |
| Total assets | ₱168.7 billion (2020) |
| Total equity | ₱95.2 billion (2020) |
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Number of employees
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13,171 (2024) |
| Parent | JG Summit Holdings |
| Subsidiaries |
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Universal Robina Corporation, often called URC, is a big company from the Philippines. Its main office is in Quezon City. URC is one of the largest food and drink companies in the Philippines. It makes many popular snacks, drinks, and other food items.
URC is a major part of JG Summit Holdings, which is one of the biggest business groups in the Philippines.
Contents
How URC Started
URC was started by John Gokongwei Jr. on September 28, 1954. It was first called Universal Corn Products (UCP). John Gokongwei Jr. wanted to build a factory to make corn products like glucose and cornstarch.
Growing with New Products
In 1961, a new company called Consolidated Food Corporation was created. Their first product was Blend 45 instant coffee. It became very popular and sold more than other coffee brands at the time.
After the coffee's success, the company launched the Presto brand. This brand made chocolate products like cocoa powder and chocolate drinks. Later, they introduced Nips, which are chocolate candies similar to M&M's. Nips quickly became a favorite snack for children in the Philippines.
Expanding into Farming
In 1963, Robina Farms began its operations. They started with poultry, raising chickens. This was a smart move because the farms could buy animal feed from UCP. This helped different parts of John Gokongwei Jr.'s businesses work together.
Around the same time, Robichem Laboratories was set up. This company made medicines and other products for the animals on the farms. In the 1970s, Robina Farms grew even more by starting to raise pigs.
Entering the Snack World
In 1966, SmithKline Beecham (SBS) was founded. This company was a pioneer in the snack food industry in the Philippines. They created the famous Jack 'n Jill brand, which makes many popular snacks.
Global Growth and Partnerships
URC has also worked with other companies from around the world.
- In 2014, URC teamed up with Danone to make and sell drinks in the Philippines.
- They also partnered with Calbee to make Calbee snacks locally. However, this partnership ended in 2018.
- URC expanded to other countries by buying a biscuit company called Griffin's Foods in New Zealand in 2014.
- In 2016, they bought Snack Brands Australia.
- In 2019, URC and a German company called Intersnack formed a joint company called Unisnack ANZ. This company included Griffin's Foods and Snack Brands Australia.
- However, URC sold its share in Unisnack ANZ to Intersnack in 2021.
- In November 2021, URC agreed to buy Munchy's, a company from Malaysia that makes biscuits.
Where URC Operates
URC's main office is in Quezon City, Philippines. As of 2018, they have 19 factories in the Philippines. They also have factories in other countries like China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
URC products are also sold in Laos and Cambodia through special distributors. They have sales offices in Hong Kong and Singapore too.
URC and Sports
URC used to own a basketball team called the Great Taste Coffee Makers. This team played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1975 to 1992. The Coffee Makers were very successful and won six PBA championships before the company sold the team.
See also
- John Gokongwei
- JG Summit Holdings
