Company officials disclosed that ANI’s products could be in the shelves of Asian food stores in the US by the first quarter of 2011 if discussions with distributors go well. ANI estimated that shipments could start at 50 to 70 containers per month valued at about P280 million.

“The products we could ship would include juices,” ANI chief executive officer Antonio L. Tiu said in an interview.

Kenneth S. Tan, chief financial officer of ANI, disclosed that the company is looking at exporting processed vegetables and high-value products to the US. These include powdered yam, malunggay or moringa leaves, jute leaves and blast frozen leafy vegetables.

The company is looking at distributing its products to Los Angeles, California and in other states where there are many Asians.

“We have set our sights on Asian food stores because these cater to a niche market that shows potential growth. Filipinos in the US, for instance, don’t necessarily have to buy ingredients for cooking at Filipino stores. They go to Asian food stores because these offer a wider selection of ingredients that are common in Asian dishes,” said Tan.

Aside from the US, the company is also targeting the so-called Greater China region and the Middle East.

“China is the market that we want to penetrate because it needs a huge volume of food imports. Also, it is near the Philippines,” said Tan.

The company specializes in the “farm-to-plate” business concept--from growing vegetables and fruits to packing, distribution, processing, canning and retailing of its products.

ANI, which was formerly known as Mabuhay 2000 Enterprises Inc., was incorporated in 1997. The company started as a distributor of the Mega-Sun brand of grain dryers.

(Jennifer A. Ng)