The evolution of the baking industry into an essential food industry has its beginnings during our Spanish colonial days. More than 300 years of colonization and religious influence had at the same time brought in the culture of the “pan de sal”, such that,even ifrice and not flour as our primary grain, the pan de sal had become the predominant food on our breakfast table.
These Latin-influenced food items were invariably monopolized by the Spanish bakers, and the trade, naturally, by the Spanish entrepreneurs. The Chinese bakers during that period had to content with and just peddled their steamed buns and Chinese pastries among members of the Parian community.
It was in the era of American occupation that the Chinese bakers had made inroads into the bakery business, first, by the Cantonese Chinese and eventually by the Fujian Chinese. From a meager foothold, the Chinese had, by dint hard work,slowly and steadily developed and expanded to a point that it had effectively displaced the Spanish domination of the industry in the period immediately prior to the passage of the Retail
Nationalization Law in 1958.
To digress a little, after the country gained its political independence and nationhood in 1946, a successive string of new laws and regulations, such as, sanitary, wage, import
allocation of flour, the passage of the Retail Nationalization Law, the Rice & Corn Nationalization Law etc. had created a great deal of problems to the Chinese bakery owners, since there was no mechanism to react to these inconveniences. Just a footnote:
Most Chinese Bakers at that time were not yet naturalized Filipino Citizens.An early industry leader, name Mr. Leong Ah Wei had correctly discerned that without grouping
together, it would be very hard, if not impossible to overcome these conditions, and hence, he strongly advocated the organization of the Filipino Chinese Bakery & Hopia Factory
Association Inc.,which became the forerunner of the present Filipino Chinese Bakery Association Inc.
For the Americans, you call such organization as lobby group. In the Philippines, this is their counterpart. Those were hard times and though the Chinese Filipino bakers felt that they were being single out as an ethnic group, they persevered and were able to overcome all these trials and tribulations.
Unknowingly, you may have encountered and patronized the products of our bakery members. Allow me to name a few, Gardenia, Sari Monde, Monde Nissin, Walter–Creative Bakers, Uncle George, Liberty Foodmart, Bakers’ Fair, Goldilocks, French
Baker,Eng Bee Tin, DEC,Holland,etc. Some of our bakery members are likewise burger buns suppliers to fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Jollibee and Burger King.
The FCBAI had indeed come a long way and in 2016, we celebrated our 50th Founding Anniversary. The organization has grown into well-established, respected and recognized force in the Philippine Bakery industry. FCBAI’s influence has reached into the far ends of the archipelago and has encouraged more members to join their cause for a better and united approach to building business and hopes.
On the international front, FCBAI is a founding member to the 13 Nations’ International Federation of Chinese Bakeries & Confectioneries Association in Year 2010. FCBAI likewise had recently established working relationship with the Korean Bakery Association and the Korean Baking Equipment Association.
In 2017, we up graded our baking center to an FCBAI Baking Research and Training Institute.The new facility has equipment that can help bakery members analyze and understand the technical characteristics of the flour and baking ingredients available in the market. The results can help our bakery members demand and sought better quality of flour and ingredients from their suppliers.
On the other hand, FCBAI regularly hold baking seminars and training modules for bakers and FCBAI bakery members with the objective of updating and upgrading them the latest
trend, technology and techniques in the Baking Industries. Our seminar resource speakers are no table experts from various fields of the baking industries,both local and foreign. This is part of FCBAI corporate social responsibility to our community.
We look forward to see you all at the Bakery Fair 2019, the 11
th International Exhibition on Bakery, Confectionery, Food Service Equipment and Supplies on February 15, 16 &
17, 2019 at the World Trade Center. Also please visit us at our website fcbai.com.ph or email us atinfo@facbai.com.ph.
Virgie Cheng On The Go 