The giving of pasalubong — gifts handpicked by vacationers to take back home to loved ones — is a practice that is deeply ingrained in the Filipino culture. Pasalubong can be anything really; it can be a simple shirt, a unique piece of jewelry or even just a keychain, but usually, pasalubong items are products that are unique to the area.
Filipino food items are some of the most memorable pasalubong products — the taste of a delicacy in a particular town cannot be replicated elsewhere, unlike designs for shirts and ornaments. Merci Pasalubong Treats, one of the leading pasalubong shops in the Philippines, makes it easier for travellers across the country to find and purchase these unique and tasty treats for their loved ones back home.
Merci History
Merci Pasalubong Treats is a subsidiary of Merci, a family business owned and operated by CM & Sons Food Products Inc. Merci was founded in 1995. It was initially just a small bakery that supplied breads to a single store at the Libertad Market. Soon afterward, however, this small business expanded and evolved into a fast food restaurant, and the food company’s coverage eventually widened as more branches were built, even in neighboring towns and cities.
Merci grew further and delved into other food products, and in January 2005, Merci Pasalubong Treats was born. This branch of the company was created to specifically cater to the growing tourist and balikbayan crowd that regularly come into the province. Pasalubong treats from Merci, just like the company’s other products, eventually gained a massive following,making it inevitable for the company to open more shops in other areas. Barely a year after opening its first shop, Merci Pasalubong Treats is now widely available nationwide.
Main Products of Merci
Merci Pasalubong treats specializes in sweets like their napoleones, piaya, butterscotch, biscocho and assorted tarts to name a few. Their bakery shops offer a wide variety of cakes, pastries, and pies. They also offer native products such as puto, kutsinta, and tikoy. To complement their food line, Merci also offers Merci Purified Drinking Water and Vitalife Purified Drinking Water.
Differentiating Qualities and Goals for the Future
Merci prides itself in their strict maintenance of high quality in all their products. The company maintains this quality by using semi-automatic equipment and only the highest-grade food ingredients, and by diligently checking all products to ensure quality and freshness upon consumption. Strict implementation of hygiene and sanitary practices in the workplace is also a key priority of Merci, which has helped them gain approval from recognized food authorities such as the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).
Merci aims to distribute its products both locally and abroad. Merci cakes, pastries and pasalubong treats can be purchased nationwide, and the company has recently started exporting their pasalubong treats to Canada.
For more information please visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/merci.
About John Dela Cruz