Mondelez to expand into the lucrative ‘cracker’ biscuit category in the Philippines

Mondelez International Inc. is planning to expand its biscuit business in the Philippines in the next 5 years, banking on its new product Tiger Crackers, which was specially developed for the local market.
Nikhil Rao, Regional Marketing Director for Southeast Asia said Mondelez intends to grow the biscuits category by double digit in the Philippines year-on-year. Currently, Mondelez is a small player in the Philippines market, however in neighbouring markets like Malaysia and Vietnam, it holds top position in the biscuit market.
Nikhil said that Mondelez growth will be driven by its entry into the cracker segment through Tiger Crackers. The Philippines is reported to have the largest market for crackers (biscuit) at US$500 million in Southeast Asia.
Mondelez launched Tiger Crackers during the pandemic as domestic consumers have shown preference for its brands. It witnessed steady sales for its biscuits brands as well as other confectionery products during the pandemic. The ‘Tiger’ brand is well known by consumers nationwide as such it is relatively easy to expand into the cracker category with this brand. Tiger crackers is a result of extensive R&D and consumer research by the Mondelez team since last year. Tiger Crackers is now available in local popular flavors such as plain, leche flan and ensaymada.
Apart from growing its biscuit business, Mondelez International aims to also promote ‘mindful snacking’ in the country through Tiger Crackers. Mondelez encourages consumers to snack mindfully as it offers portion control products, or those with less than 200 calories per pack. Nikhil said Tiger crackers offer consumers the option of having only 120 calories per pack containing 3 crackers.
Presently, Tiger Crackers are produced in Vietnam as Mondelez has no biscuit factory in the Philippines, however it is considering local production in the near future.
Mondelez International has established presence in the Philippines since 1963 offering products like Tang powdered beverages, Oreo cookies, BelVita breakfast biscuits, Eden cheese, Cheez Whiz spread, Oreo cookies, Tiger energy biscuits as well as Cadbury chocolates amongst others. The firm has a manufacturing facility in Paranaque City for Eden cheese.