Mekeni Picnic Hotdog now in the US
Mekeni Food Corporation reached another export milestone as its flagship hotdog brand, Picnic Hotdog, is now available in the US.
Mekeni, a homegrown local brand based in Pampanga, made their Picnic Hotdog available in the US through Island Pacific Supermarket, one of the biggest Asian/Filipino supermarkets on the West Coast.
“It feels different bringing our flagship brand to the US. When we launched our street food products and tocino early last year, we were flooded with questions from friends, relatives, acquaintances, and kababayans about when we would bring Picnic Hotdog. They say they miss it. The time has come,” said Mekeni President Prudencio S. Garcia.
Picnic Hotdog is already the seventh Mekeni-branded product available there through Island Pacific. In January, Mekeni brought street-food favorites Kikiam and Fish Balls to branches across California and Nevada. Last July, Mekeni Classic Tocino was introduced to the Filipino community on the East Coast, particularly in New York and New Jersey, followed by Orlians, Squid Balls, and two variants of Fish Ball Sauce. These marine-based products are now available in key cities with Filipino communities.
The export expansion has always been in the plans of Mekeni. It started its export business in 2011 when it had a trial delivery to Dubai. This was followed by the accreditation of the Japanese government that allowed Mekeni to export to the country.
“These milestones are a step toward further realizing our vision to be a world-class brand and our mission to uplift the lives of our employees and Filipinos worldwide. This is also a win for the Filipino culture as what we are bringing to the world are #TimplangAtin flavors that we are proud of and love,” added Garcia.
Mekeni’s Chef’s Sausage and Chicken & Pork Longaniza are now available in the US, while Kikiam, Fish Balls, Squid Balls, and Orlians are now in Canada.
Mekeni expects to launch more products in Qatar, Japan, and Canada by early next year.
“We Filipinos are known for our tight family relationships and love for food. With these products, we hope to not only make our products known abroad but for overseas Filipino to continue savoring Pinoy flavors and feel closer to their roots,” said Marilou Uy, Mekeni’s AVP for HR and Exports.
Mekeni products can be bought at all branches of Island Pacific. Orders and dealership inquiries can be directed to Northridge Foods at 626-7890715 and northridge8@gmail.com.
