(Left to right) Sales Director Allan Anthony Constantino, Father July Cortes of Gethsemane Parish, Regional Sales Manager – Visayas Anton Hinolan, Customer Service and Operations Manager Cherry Castaneda, and Vice President for Supply Chain Angelo Domingo led the official launching of E&L Food- Cebu extension office on November 23, 2022.
One of the country’s leading food distributors today, E&L Faster Food Imports Inc. (E&L Food), has kept its goal simple since day one: To nourish people’s lives every day by doing good with food.
For more than 12 years, E&L Food has been committed to keeping its processes simple and efficient in running the business by selling wholesale and retail frozen goods; and growing towards the same goal with their partners and customers.
The management and stakeholders of the company put high importance on the wellness and development of their people.
“Everyone plays an important role, no matter who you are, regardless of your position, mahalaga at pamilya ka rito (You are important and a family here). We are all in this together,” President and Founder Meg Lee said.
Humble beginnings
Meg Lee established E&L Food in 2010 with the idea of committing to the purpose of contributing to food security.
The company started strong, selling millions of kilos worth of frozen meat in its first year. As the company continued to improve business operations, sales increased tenfold in its 5th year and grew exponentially.
“Our relationship with our suppliers goes beyond sourcing great, safe, and high-quality products to sell. We want to cultivate a strong business partnership with our clients built on trust and reliability,” Lee said.
President and Founder of E&L Food, Meg Lee.
“We believe that it is also about sustaining a livelihood for our suppliers and their families so that they, too, can provide opportunities for others to have a better life,” she added.
In 2021, E&L Food undertook a significant transformation and rebranded itself to reflect its commitment to “Doing Good with Food”, its very own trademarked tagline. The company, through its affiliates, also started launching food shops, opening in several locations within Luzon.
Quality food cultivated by goodness
A healthy community begins with quality food.
Quality is one of the significant factors that E&L Food considers in choosing the right products. E&L Food ensures that its products come from trusted partners worldwide.
The company offers a variety of frozen goods, with an emphasis on its core business of meat such as beef, chicken, and pork. It also offers nuts and seeds, dairy, deli, and convenience foods, as well as fruits and vegetables.
E&L Food sees ensuring the safety and quality of its food products as a way of helping the world be a better, healthier place, one table served at a time.
Fostering a culture of care
Aside from providing access to a diverse range of safe and affordable food products, E&L Food strives to keep its processes simple and efficient while maintaining the good relationships the company acquired with its suppliers, clients, employees, and management.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, E&L Food tripled its workforce – opening job opportunities to almost 200 people. To date, the organization has over 300 employees who share the purpose of providing quality food products to every Filipino.
Furthermore, E&L Food reinforces its commitment to nation-building by engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities such as a blood-letting drive with the Philippine Blood Center, charity events for the elderly at Good Samaritan Nursing Home Inc. and for women with psycho-social difficulties at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Sanctuary Center.
E&L Food employees made a colorful splash in a two-day team-building program in Bataan.
E&L Food expands to Cebu
E&L Food marked its first venture in the Visayas region by inaugurating its Cebu branch on November 23, 2022. The management committee, the E&L Cebu team, and their customers graced the opening.
Due to its ideal location in the Queen City of the South, Mandaue City became the first station for E&L Food to attract more suppliers, customers, and consumers.
Sales Director Allan Anthony Constantino said that the company saw the potential of opening a branch in Cebu as it is the center of trade, commerce, and tourism in Visayas.
“We chose Cebu because of the province’s immense possibilities. Aside from its bountiful natural resources, beautiful tourist attractions, and rich heritage, Cebuanos are friendly and fun-loving. We love Cebu,” Constantino said.
Regional Sales Manager-Visayas Anton Hinolan, one of the pioneers in Cebu, said that he’s glad that E&L Food has selected Cebu as the company’s branch expansion in Visayas.
“I am thrilled that E&L Food has expanded outside Luzon and has chosen Cebu. I am glad and proud to be part of a dynamic team that helps serve the needs of wet markets and food business owners here in the country,” Hinolan said.
“Cebu is a challenging market, but we’re excited to reach more potential clients whom we can work with here. At E&L, we are open to new and different ideas. Hence, anything is possible here and within the Visayas Region in general,” he shared.
In the meantime, E&L Cebu offers premium-quality beef, chicken, and pork meat selections as the branch is still expanding its product portfolio.
More fruitful years to come
Over the years, E&L Food has shown exemplary acts of compassion towards its customers, clients, employees, and even people within the community.
“We nurture people through food. We try to outgrow ourselves and go beyond our comfort zones, so we can eventually help others have better lives,” Lee said.
“We invest in our stakeholders’ development by watching over their well-being. We also respect each other’s differences, and that’s when we know we’re making our vision come to reality,” she added.
E&L Food is devoted to expanding the company’s horizons with more than a decade of business operations advocating food security that will not only fill stomachs but also enrich lives. Learn more about E&L Food by checking their website at www.enlfood.com.
ADVT