Creativity and stronger collaboration with suppliers and local partners—including hotels, restaurants and coffee shops—will help the bakery industry weather the economic slowdown, said International Federation of Chinese Bakery and Confectionery Association president Bien Enrico C. Ah, who is also a past president of the Filipino Chinese Bakery Association.
One way to foster collaboration and innovation, he said, is through Bakery World 2026, a three-day bakery and food exhibition organized by the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) that brings together bakers, cake artists, chefs, entrepreneurs and food industry professionals from Cebu and other parts of the Philippines.
This year also marks an expansion for Bakery World as the event moves beyond its traditional focus on baking to include the coffee and culinary industries.
Doing it differently
Bakery World 2026 chair Kelie Ko said the Bakery World is all about innovation and being more efficient.
“If we continue to do things the way we do, we will not be able to help solve the problem. I think that's what many people don't see about businessmen. They always see that business is always about profit,” he said.
What people didn’t see, he added, were the efforts businesses were making to keep costs to a minimum while maintaining product quality and, as much as possible, keeping prices unchanged for customers.
Aside from connecting businesses with suppliers, Bakery World 2026 also features talks and symposiums designed to help micro and small bakeries, Ko said in a news conference on Sept. 10, shortly before the formal opening of the exhibition.
US support
Ah also recognized the presence of Herpin Rochet Jateng, Agricultural Attache of the US Department of Agriculture at the US Embassy in the Philippines, and Joseph Blippert, regional director for South and Southeast Asia of the US Wheat Associates.He said the industry needed their support for training, promotions and other collaborative initiatives.
Jateng, for his part, assured the industry of the US government’s support, saying his country wanted to strengthen its “wonderful diplomatic relationship, partnership and friendship” with the Philippines through the culinary world.
“We always want to put forth the right ingredients and the right products so that you all can elevate obviously the cultural wonderfulness that we have in the Philippines,” he said.
“It's been my ultimate pleasure to have discovered and seen a lot of what you all have to offer, and whenever we see US products blending with the Filipino way of doing things, it's always a pleasure,” he added.
Exhibitions and competitions
At least 73 exhibitors occupying 122 booths are participating in the exhibition at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino from Sept. 10 to 12. The booths feature a wide range of ingredients, equipment, products, technologies and services for the food and beverage industry.
Aside from the exhibition, one of the attractions of Bakery World 2026 is the Cake Masters Competition, which brings together cake artists and baking teams from different parts of the country to compete in three categories: Illusion Dining Room Challenge: Real or Cake?; Cebu Heritage: Sweet and Timeless (Live Cake Decorating); and Birthday Cake: Three-Tier Cake Showcase (Team Edition).
The event also features live demonstrations by chefs and culinary experts, giving visitors an opportunity to observe techniques, discover new applications and learn directly from industry professionals. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
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