While many would think that Virginia Farms Inc. was started with a solid and clear vision of becoming the major player in the swine farming industry, the farm simply was born out of a need to satisfy a requirement from the family’s main business back in 1968.
The founder, Doña Virginia Sy Chiongbian started her poultry and piggery venture in May 1968 to support the growing demand of food supply from its shipping company, William Lines, not knowing that 50 years in the future, it will become one of the biggest farms in Cebu and the top pork producer in the region.
From what could be described as a backyard venture in Jagobiao, Mandaue City, it grew to become today’s most trusted names when it comes to premium quality pork meat products.
The company’s earlier direction of providing food supplies gave birth to today’s household brand of processed meat products, which is Virginia Food, Inc. The company, however was sold to Avalon Holdings, Inc. in 2002 as the management wanted to focus more on the main business of hog production.
Now focused on the swine business, the farm expanded its operation in Asturias, western Cebu with its sister company, Asturias Farms, employing the best farming practices to maintain high quality produce. Together, they tapped and partnered with other companies who are the best in their field – from swine breeders/genetics, feeds formulation and preparation, to the slaughter of hogs and storage using world-class equipment and technologies.
Over the course of expansions, the farm saw tremendous growth not only in the number of hogs it produced yearly, but also in the number of people who joined the family to contribute to the process of achieving an excellent system where everyone feels part of one goal.
The company believes in their people as an asset to them and has identified three core values for its people to reflect on in everything that they do as a member of Virginia Farms family – working as one, committing to honesty and consistency for excellence and assuring our customer’s demands. Guided by these values, a member of the family embodies excellence and that natural warmth not only to its customers but also to their fellow employees as they work together towards a common goal.
At Virginia, you don’t see people leaving too soon. Oftentimes, they stay until they retire. That is because, aside from ensuring they satisfy their customers’ needs, the company makes sure that every member of their workforce is taken care of.
Blessed with people who all took care of the company like it’s their own, the company opened its retailing arm The Pork Shop in 2008. The subsidiary company sells pre-cut fresh chilled and/or fresh frozen pork meat and other farm produce.
Still guided by the same principle and values of putting excellence in everything they do, the new company saw fast growth in the last 11 years with 40 branches now spread across major cities and municipalities in Cebu including Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City, Cebu City, Danao City, Minglanilla, Consolacion and Liloan. Every outlet is manned by friendly staff who are well trained to provide unparalleled customer service experience to every customer. The Pork Shop also supplies most of the local restaurants in Cebu, providing them with the best quality pork for their sought-after menu.
With its operations fast expanding and branches opening one after another, The Pork Shop needed faster and more efficient support system especially with the delivery of its meat products to the different branches. So in March 8, 2016, the Meat Cutting Plant in Maguikay, Mandaue City was opened. This is the first of its class in the Philippines, which can handle processing of 500 hogs daily.
From the slaughterhouse, the carcasses are then brought to the Plant for cutting using top-of-the-line and latest cutting technologies that ensure all the meat cuts are at premium quality before it is delivered to the Pork Shop branches and its customers.
Looking far ahead, the company knew it will soon need to increase its production as they continue to open more branches of The Pork Shop.
While they can simply open more piggery houses within the large 360-hectare property in Asturias, the company instead looked into setting up a partnership that will allow them to give back to the community and the best way to do that is to help other farmers by sharing the best practices that the company has developed in the last 50 years. Thus, Virginia Farmers Solutions was created in 2017.
Under the partnership, independent farmers can be a contract grower of breeder for Virginia Farms and are given technical and operational assistance by the company and all their produce are also bought by Virginia Farms.
Getting their people more engaged, the company ventured into its first investment of the ready-to-eat food business - Berto’s Habhaban in September 18, 2019. The first branch is located in Sangi, Tabunok, Talisay City with a plan to grow to 40 branches within two years, offering franchises exclusive to its people only. Adopting the popular pungko-pungko concept, the food stall offers popular Cebuano street foods like sha-e which is deep-fried pig intestine, among others.
To support the company’s fast product movements, they also invested in their own slaughterhouse located in a 5,000 square meter lot within the 360-hectare farm property in Asturias, Cebu.
The Virginia Slaughterhouse and Meat Plant was inaugurated in October 8, 2019, completing the value chain from farm to home, further ensuring the delivery of nothing but the highest quality products that are responsive to the growing and ever-changing demands of the consumers.
The Slaughterhouse and Meat Cutting Plant is certified Triple A facility by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and observes Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) to assure food safety protocols.
As a company that also looks after the environment, it consciously puts in place measures to reduce its carbon footprint. The farm, including the slaughterhouse, utilizes its waste by converting it into electricity for its own operations through its own Biodigester. Other by-products of the biogas digester such as sludge and effluent water undergo treatment and are used as fertilizer and irrigation water for its kalamansi plantation and that of the lands tilled by the community.
Having put in place all these investments, the company has helped the communities where it operates by creating job and livelihood opportunities resulting to a positive domino effect in the economy.
The company also envisions to promote Agri-Tourismwithin its 360-hectare property transforming it into Cebu’s Agro-Hub in the future, still with active engagement with the people in the community.
