For 150 years, Welch’s has brought to millions of homes around the world the natural goodness of grape juice. In the Philippines, the Welch’s brand is synonymous to sharing to loved ones only the best that nature can offer.
In celebration of this milestone and as a way of reminding everyone the value of making better nutritional choices and wise decisions at home for the family’s overall health and well-being, Welch’s has invited mom bloggers, industry partners as well as culinary and nutrition experts for an afternoon of activities and shared learning at the Cafe 1771 Events Place in Ortigas.
Fruitful legacy
“Welch’s is an advocate of better nutritional choices for families. Today’s celebration aims to share the goodness of Welch’s celebrating 150 years of sharing real great goodness. It is a very important milestone because it shows how strong the Welch's brands is,” said Erika Rodriguez, VP for Marketing of GEMCo, the Philippine marketing agent of Welch’s International.
“This celebration serves as an opportunity for us to pay tribute to the family farmers that actually own Welch’s and who have grown the grapes for generations, as well as the cooperatives that put their heart and soul to making the brand reach 150 years. Over 900 family farmer-owned vineyards across America put their heart into the product. As such, opening a bottle of Welch’s 100% Grape Juice is like unleashing the power of ‘purple’ in every sip. Unlike other beverages that contain huge amounts of sugar and artificial coloring, Welch’s is vitamin-packed and 100% natural,” she stressed.
In an effort to broaden its offerings that will delight consumers, Welch’s innovations includes introducing PET bottle containers for convenience and the Welch’s Fruit Snack gummies which is made with real fruit. To date, Welch’s remains the No. 1 grape juice brand in the world.
On the part of its Philippine distributor, Fly Ace Corporation, President Lucio "Jun" Cochanco Jr. said that they are proud to carry Welch’s as it is not only a heritage brand but also one that is popular among Filipinos.
“Fly Ace has been a partner of Welch’s since 1997. It is a product that we are proud of since it is well loved because of its nutritional values. Moving forward, we want more Filipinos to share in the joy of drinking Welch's together especially during special occasions and family moments,” said Cochanco.
Also present at the special occasion is Gilbert Evaristo, President of GEMCo, who led the ceremonial wine toast to ring in more glorious years for the well-loved beverage brand. “The brand has indeed come of age,” he remarked. Aside from Welch's celebrating 150 years, GEMCo is also marking 25 years of handling the Welch's brand in the country.
Enriching family eating traditions
Mommy influencers Frances Sales (Topaz Horizon) and Aliza Apostol (Must Love Mom) set the laidback mood as they shared their honest views on motherhood and its challenges especially when it comes to feeding the kids and serving healthier dishes for the family.
Afterward, to show how guests can maximize the wealth of health benefits and versatility of Welch’s Grape Juice as an ingredient in various healthy dishes and snacks, Chefs Peachy Mathay of PACE and Trisha Ocampo of CCA Manila have prepared various recipes to show the audience.
‘Purple power’
Adding essential expert insights to the celebration is Ma. Paz Sales of the Nutritionist-Dietitians Association of the Philippines (NDAP) who talked about health issues like chronic and metabolic diseases and how these are often the sum of one’s lifestyle habits or choices. She stressed that it is high time for everyone to embrace a life of health by changing one’s harmful habits and making smart nutrition choices now, beginning at home.
For starters, Sales suggested having regular consumption of vegetables and fruits, especially purple-colored ones like the Concord grapes used in Welch’s products as they are loaded with key vitamins and nutrients.
Scientific studies show that grape juice made from Concord grapes contain natural sugars but compared with other forms of sugar, sugars in grapes are considered to be low in the glycemic index. Thus, grape (or grape juice in this case) is unlikely to raise one’s blood sugar significantly.
“Welch’s juice uses the entire Concord grape – skin, seeds and all – to release the plant’s true polyphenol power. In fact, at least 20 grapes are squeezed into each 4-ounce glass. Imagine the vitamins and minerals in each glass of Welch’s that has nurtured generations of families not only in the Philippines but all over the world,” said Erika.
For more information, visit www.welchs.com or follow Welch’s PH in Facebook and IG. Welch’s fruit drinks and snacks are distributed by Fly Ace Corporation and available in leading retail stores nationwide.
