They said that ‘if it sells in Cebu, it will sell anywhere’. There must be some truth to it as many things Cebuano are now trending all over the country, if not the world!
Take the case of Cebu lechon or Carcar chicharon, Liloan Rosquillos or even the Siomai at Tisa. Add to that list the world-famous dried mangoes.
Cebu made products that are now considered essential in every Filipino home include Efficascent Oil, Omega pain killer, Casino alcohol, Bambi cooking oil, Lion Tiger katol and Virginia hotdog.
Among the Cebu homegrown companies that made it big are Penshoppe, Island Souvenirs, Bo’s Coffee, Orange Brutus, Thirsty and Dewfoam.
Of course, the different Gaisano department stores and supermarkets all originated from Cebu.
The Robinsons department store and Universal Robina also traces its roots to Cebu, in fact, it is the company that made Cebu fly with its airline, Cebu Pacific.
The highly successful Rose Pharmacy is also from Cebu.
The number one drinking water brand in the country, Nature’s Spring, is also proudly Cebuano.
But perhaps nothing beats the popularity of the following brands that you can easily spot them in every major town and city in the country.
1. M Lhuillier – In 1935, Henry Lhuillier, an Honorary French Consul in the 1970s, together with his wife, Angelita Escano Jones, started a series of pawnshops all over the country called ‘agencias’. His son, Michel Jones Lhuillier, together with his wife, Amparito Llamas Lhuillier, then founded the M Lhuillier Group of Companies and opened the first M Lhuillier pawn and jewelry shop in the 1980s in what is considered the countryβs oldest thoroughfare, Colon Street in Cebu City.
With this, Michel Lhuillier envisioned expanding further the company within the next 30 years by establishing over 1,000 M Lhuillier branches all over the Philippines.
Since then, M Lhuillier has earned its reputation as the largest non-bank financial services network in the Philippines, with over 3,000 branches nationwide.
It is worth mentioning that M Lhuillier is also the company behind the world-class Cebu Safari and Adventure Park.
2. Cebuana Lhuillier- In 1969,
Henry Lhuillierβs second son, Philippe Jones Lhuillier, opened his first branch at Libertad Street, Pasay and in 1987, the original Agencia Cebuana adopted the name Cebuana Lhuillier as its trade name.
By 1994, it opened its 200th branch and in 2000, Cebuana Lhuillier opened its 700th branch and was recognized as the largest chain of pawnshops in the world by Guinness World Records.
Today, it has more than 2500 branches all over the country and has diversified into banking, insurance, hospitality and other
industries.
3. Julie’s Bakeshop- Known as the Philippine’s favourite neighbourhood bakery, the first Julie’s bakeshop was established in January of 1981 in Wireless, Mandaue City. 40 years later, there are now more than 450 stores and 100 franchisees all over the country. There is even a Julie’s bakeshop in Calgary, Canada.
What other Cebu brands did we miss? Add your thoughts in the comment section so we can add them in the next list.
Uswag pa Sugbo!
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