THE Pork Shop, the retailing arm of Virginia Farms Inc. and Cebu’s leading pork retailer, has opened two branches here in Iloilo City to provide households with fresh, clean and affordable pork. The two branches are located at Super “Terminal Market” and La Paz, beside the public market.
Virginia Farms Inc. was drawn to Iloilo City because of its growing economy and the number of middle-class consumers. By introducing the brand, it hopes to contribute to the city’s economic growth through job creation as well as contribute to food safety.
The company also aims to help local farmers as it plans to partner and share with local farmers the best practices in hog farming through its subsidiary Virginia Farmers Solution (VFS). Under the partnership, local farmers will be provided with assistance including genetics and nutrition. The farmers are also assured of a market for their hogs as the company will buy all their produce at a contract price.
According to Virginia Farms Inc. president Rolando E. Tambago, all their stocks will be coming from Cebu which are then sold in the two branches while they set up a network of partner local farms in the island of Panay.
He said, they are also looking at the possibility of opening their own farm in the island to ensure a stable supply of pork for their expansion plans in Iloilo and its nearby provinces in the Western Visayas region.
In Iloilo metropolitan areas alone, the company eyes to open a total of 10 branches within the year.
With the expansion, Virginia Farms Inc. president Rolando E. Tambago said they will be needing to hire at least 40 people from Iloilo to help them in the operations of their shops.
“The team now that you can see is just the opening team. We will definitely be employing from Iloilo,” said the Virginia Farms Inc. President Rolando E. Tambago.
It also assures the public that their pork is Asian Swine Fever (ASF)-free.
Hogs raised in eco-friendly, and community-responsible farm
More than the quality of its pork, the company adopts a sustainable farming practice by employing good animal husbandry practices with due regard to animal welfare, and a goal to achieve “zero waste” operation.
In his presentation, Business Development Officer Ryan Evangelista said that the farm operations adopts eco-friendly process with wastes converted into energy through the farm’s “biogas digester”. The methane gas produced is then used to power the farm facilities. Also, the sludge collected from the hog wastes are converted to organic fertilizers that are then used in the farm’s plantation.
The company also makes it a point that they are able to help the community around the farm through livelihood generating projects.
“We soon plan to also sell vegetables in our shops and we will be partnering with the local community in Asturias to do that,” he said.
State-of-the-art facility
With its goal to provide only the best quality product and to become the country’s most preferred brand when it comes to pork products, Virginia Farms Inc. invested in facilities that are equipped with the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment.
Its latest investment was the newly inaugurated 3,000 square meter Virginia Slaughterhouse and Meat Plant located within their 360-hectare farm in Asturias, Cebu.
The slaughterhouse is equipped with European machineries and technology that will ensure the delivery of high-quality products. It is a certified Triple A facility by the National Meat Inspection Service or MNIS.
According to Tambago, the company continuously invest in the latest technology because of the company’s commitment to offer the best quality pork that is guaranteed safe by the different government agencies.
He added that their pork is free from Asian Swine Fever (ASF) with him being the leader of the Pork Producers Association of Visayas and Mindanao and a prime mover when it comes to protecting the local industry from the economically devasting disease.
He added that at their farm, they practice strict biosecurity measures and that people who wants to visit the farm, including him, will have to undergo a 72-hour downtime.
With their entry into the Iloilo market, Virginia Farms, through The Pork Shop, commits to delivering fresh and affordable meat that is guaranteed safe for everyone in the community, help create job opportunities for the locals and help the local hog industry in Iloilo and the Panay island.
You know you deserve only the best and The Pork Shop by Virginia is here to offer you that. Follow them in Facebook for the latest promos and exiting announcements! What are you waiting for, visit your next go-to pork shop today! /PN
