PREMIUM dairy brand Carmen’s Best is expanding its operations into Cebu as part of a nationwide strategy to make high-quality, locally produced dairy products more accessible across the Philippines.
The move to the Visayas follows the brand’s recent growth in Mindanao, marking a key step in its strategy to strengthen its presence beyond Luzon.
The company, now under Metro Pacific AgroVentures Inc. (MPAV), operates two dairy facilities and an ice cream plant in Laguna. MPAV recently acquired a dairy farm in Maramag, Bukidnon, which houses 220 milking cows that supply fresh milk to southern markets. This expansion gives Carmen’s Best one of the largest dairy herds in the country, bolstering its capacity to meet growing demand for fresh milk and dairy-based products.
“From the very beginning, the goal of Carmen’s Best has been simple: give Filipinos access to dairy products that are made fresh, with no substitutes, and with no shortcuts taken,” said Jovy Hernandez, president and chief executive of MPAV and Carmen’s Best. “Now that we’ve expanded to Visayas and Mindanao, we’re excited to offer more customers not just our ice cream but also our new milk and cheese products, all proudly made with 100 percent fresh cow’s milk.”
Earlier this year, Carmen’s Best participated in the 2025 Food Summit, where Hernandez met with agri-sector leaders and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, underscoring the company’s commitment to partner with local stakeholders and strengthen the dairy industry in Visayas and Mindanao.
Carmen’s Best began its nationwide rollout in March 2025 through retail partnerships with major supermarkets, including SM Hypermarket, Robinsons Supermarket, Metro, Puregold, and The Marketplace, making its products more widely available. The brand plans to expand further to restaurants, hotels, resorts, and events, and is preparing to open dedicated scooping stations in Cebu.
The company’s product lineup includes its signature Carmen’s Best Ice Cream and its milk range — Whole Milk, Low-Fat Milk, Low-Fat Chocolate Milk, and Barista Fresh Milk — along with the newly launched Salted Caramel Milk. Carmen’s Best will also introduce Kesong Puti, its first locally made cheese product, later this year.
With expanded operations across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, Carmen’s Best aims to strengthen its position in the domestic dairy sector while delivering on its promise of providing “100 percent fresh, honest, and proudly homegrown” dairy products to Filipino consumers. / KOC