Area served Southeast Asia, China Founded 1946 | Website www.oishi.com.ph Headquarters Pasay, Imus | |
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Industry Food and beverage industry Products Snacks, cereals, biscuits, milk and beverages Motto Oishi. O, Wow! (February 2012-present) | ||
Liwayway Holdings Company Limited, doing business as Oishi, is a snack company based in the Philippines. Its headquarters are in Pasay in Metro Manila. As of 2013 it is headed by Carlos Chan (C: 施恭旗, P: Shī Gōngqí).
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History
Oishi, started in 1946 as Liwayway, was originally a family-owned corn starch repacking business. The name of the business, "Liwayway' was selected to reflect the optimism of the Philippines following the aftermath of World War II. By 1966, in addition to distributing starch, the company also was distributing basic commodities, coffee, and confectioneries. It was incorporated as the Liwayway Marketing Corporation (LMC) in 1966.
Brothers Carlos and Manuel Chan, at the time, were behind the company. The parents of the Chan brothers are immigrants to the Philippines from Fujian Province, China.
The company began distributing Oishi Prawn Crackers and Kirei Yummy Flakes in 1974. The company claims to have used technology from Japan to make the products.
Expansion
Carlos Chan began prospecting on the expansion of Oishi to China in 1984, following the liberalization of the Chinese economy under Deng Xiaoping starting in 1978.
The company's China division, established in 1993, is headquartered in Qingpu District, Shanghai. To improve distribution in China, the company established a factory network there. Oishi also established a presence in Vietnam in 1997 and in Myanmar in 1999. In 2006, factories were opened in Indonesia and Thailand.
Interlink Direct Ltd. imports Oishi products from China to the United Kingdom.
Reception
In 1998, for his contributions to Shanghai, Carlos Chan received a "Magnolia Gold Award". In 2005 the City of Shanghai made Carlos Chan an honorary citizen. In 1996 Oishi was declared a "Shanghai famous brand". In August 2013 Carlos Chan, with a project wealth of $500 million, was #25 on the month's Forbes Philippines Rich List.
Russell Flannery of Forbes wrote that "Oishi’s spelling looks a lot like the Japanese word for delicious, oishii."