San Miguel to Jollibee – how the Philippines’ finest brands took over the world, from fast food to beer
Max's Restaurant was born when an expat student cooked for American WW2 soldiers, while Potato Corner claims to cook the world’s best flavoured fries – as Filipinos have made a home all over the world, their most trusted brands have followed them and earned loyal new fans along the way
San Miguel
Across many cultures, beer serves to connects people and their stories. It's no wonder the Philippines' best-loved beer has made its way around the globe, from Europe to the Middle East and most of Asia and America. It was established in 1890, on the feast day of San Miguel, in San Miguel, and was the first beer brewed in Southeast Asia. Today they have breweries in many parts of the world and the one in the UK even makes a gluten-free beer.
Jollibee
You will insult any Filipino if you say Jollibee is just another fast-food chain. Filipinos almost always have very fond memories connecting them to the locally born brand, and memories of home and family – the place they had their first birthday party or where they went after Sunday mass. It’s also true the brand made founder Tony Tan Caktiong a billionaire, with Jollibee now a regional rival to the US mega-chains found in more than 200 places internationally, including across America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, UK, Italy and more – anywhere you find the Pinoy diaspora.
Max's Restaurant