From artisanal ice creams in heritage Filipino flavors to crispy snacks crafted from real fruits and vegetables, homegrown food brands made a strong case at the recently concluded THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026. Their collective message on the global stage was loud and clear: when it comes to good, healthy and sustainable food, the Philippines refuses to be left behind.
This year, 28 Philippine companies occupied the Philippine Pavilion at THAIFEX 2026. Organized by the Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization Inc., the pavilion showcased a diverse range of export-ready products including tropical fruit products, processed seafood, snacks, beverages, ingredients, condiments and innovative food solutions.
Among the Philippine Pavilion exhibitors is Marcelo’s Microcreamery. Launched only last 2025, the artisanal ice cream brand is already making waves locally and globally, especially with its debut at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia.
Meanwhile, the lone, independent Filipino exhibitor at the Asia’s largest FandB trade show was OSH! Oh So Healthy Corporation, maker of ‘better-for-you snacks,’ which has been a finalist at THAIFEX’s tasteInnovation Awards in 2024. It’s also the company’s third-consecutive outing at THAIFEX.
Philstar.com sat down with both companies, which are leading the way and putting Filipino innovations and flavors on the global map.
Oh So Healthy snacks that are delicious
For Founder and CEO Almay Gaw See, creating OSH! seven years ago started as a deeply personal yet simple mission: to provide healthy snacks for his then two young boys.
‘I’m a believer of real food. I don’t like process things. I don’t like processed things,’ she said, hence, she would pack real fruits as snacks for her kids.
Only to realize that they would not consume it at school, and find the fruits in the trash. ‘Siguro, natatakot sila mapagalitan kaya itinapon.’
At the same time, the busy mom-who already runs a packaging manufacturing company-had time constrains fixing her kids’ baon.
“So I thought, ‘If I can provide something to my kids that they actually like to eat, that’s safe for them to eat, that’s healthy, then we have a winning product’,’ she recounted, thus came OSH!. She used her first business as leverage to create OSH!, but also made sure that she champion Filipino products. Same with the manufacturing, which her company handles, her supply chain is also all-Filipino, sourcing from Filipino farmers only. Her ingredients list include mango, guava, coconut, jackfruit, and ube among many others.
But what then makes OSH! innovative and healthy? Think of an OSH! snack as a nutrient-dense fruit smoothie transformed into a crispy chip, the CEO described.
Interestingly, she recounted that their signature multi-fruit blend was born out of an agricultural crisis. During a mango scarcity in 2016, high prices of ingredients threatened to delay their launch. Looking for solutions, the team experimented by blending mango with sweet potato and banana. The result was not only more sustainable but significantly tastier and crunchier than standard dried fruit.
‘When we started this, we were the first to create a healthy snack product, and we were creating a category in the market. There’s no ‘better-for-you products’ in the supermarkets yet,’ she shared.
Today, See observed that choosing and eating healthy has become the trend-even the norm-among the younger Gen Zs, creating more options in the market.
This year’s top food trends presented at THAIFEX, included alternative proteins and food that are functional and free-form, organic and sustainable among others. This proves prove that See was on the right track all along when she created OSH!.
Asked about the advantages of joining THAIFEX consecutively for the past three years, she explained that the initial curiosity has matured into steady market familiarity.
“There’s a loyalist following for the brand now,” See expressed, which is important as they continue to introduce new products to the global market.
To further capture the wellness-focused Gen Z demographic, they launched bold flavor profiles like Kimchi Crisps alongside innovative new lines like Osh Pops, which is popcorn but healthier, and Blumies, which are chewy, fruity gummies for prebiotic gut-health.
Looking ahead, See hopes to scale OSH!’s global presence, while continuously championing Filipino ingredients, and expanding its innovative product portfolio, proving to the world that healthy snacking can be a truly delicious experience.
Ice cream with a taste of home, heritageLaunched only in May of 2025, Marcelo’s Microcreamery is already reaping accolades for its artisanal ice cream products. Before heading to THAIFEX 2026, they won this year’s KATHA Awards for Food for the category Specialty and Gourmet.
The KATHA Awards, organized by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, is considered one of the of biggest recognitions in the country that celebrates Filipino design excellence, innovation and craftsmanship.
This shows that Marcelo’s have created not just a frozen treat, but something unique and unforgettable. In fact, the brand was created with the intent to evoke nostalgia and memories of home.
“When we conceptualized this, the president himself, Mr. John Marcelo, really wanted to have something new,’ Emilie Dela Vega, chief commercial officer of Sterling Pacific Ventures Corporation (SPVC), producer and exporter of Marcelo’s Microcreamery, told Philstar.com.
According to Dela Vega, Marcelo loves ice cream but he kept seeing the same flavors from supermarkets.
‘No one ever dared to do the heritage flavors of the Philippines,’ she said noting that you could see some Filipino ingredients on gelatos but not on retail packs. Marcelo’s ice creams don’t merely add latik latik or bilo-bilo, but fully incorporates them into their creations.
THAIFEX 2026 visitors and buyers were able to experience these as Marcelo’s brought their three best-sellers: Latik Latik, Bilo Bilo and Mangga’t Suman.
‘What you ate in your Filipino desserts, it’s also the same in Marcelo’s ice creams,’ Dela Vega said explaining that they have a dedicated commissary that whips up the authentic latik latik made from 100% coconut milk, bilo bilo ingredients like banana, sweet potato, jackfruit among others, and mangga’t suman, our very own mango and sticky rice.
These are combined with coconut milk for a creamy yet non-dairy experience bursting with vibrant flavors.
Undoubtedly, these hit home for Filipinos living and working overseas as the brand already exports to markets in the US, Canada and Arab nations. But what surprised Marcelo’s are the foreign customers who also enjoyed the taste of authentic Filipino desserts.
It’s no wonder then that Marcelo’s also received the same overwhelming response at THAIFEX 2026-from Australian distributors requesting to carry the brand to a buyer representing a South Korean retail giant.
As the brand continues its growth and popularity locally and abroad, they promise to continue supporting the local farmers and small businesses that they source their ingredients from. It also nurtures culinary collaborations.
Soon, it will launch new flavors Ube Baklava and Strawberry Fields, created with Chef Nouel Catis who is known to be the creator of the viral Dubai Kunafa chocolate.
The future is bright for Filipino food companies, equipped with our heritage flavors, rich agricultural resources, and innovation and ingenuity. THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026 was the perfect showcase.