By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter
MEGA PRIME Foods, Inc. (MPFI) partnered with the Department of Tourism’s (DoT) Calabarzon office to put its newly launched museum under must-visit locations in Batangas.
On Tuesday, MPFI held the grand opening of its Senses of the Sea: The Mega Sardines Museum, a catching-to-canning experience tour.
“The Mega Sardines Museum also aims to stimulate growth in the economy of Batangas and Calabarzon Region as it gears up to become one of the newest tourist attractions in the province and the region,” said MPFI Chief Executive Officer Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan.
Ms. Lim-Chan said the museum is seen to attract up to 5,000 tourists per month or around 60,000 guests a year.
“The tour is bound to boost the local tourism of Santo Tomas and the Batangas province with the presence of guests from educational and business institutions taking interest in the process of food production,” she added.
MPFI and the DoT-Calabarzon signed a partnership agreement that will allow the museum to get the agency’s endorsement and be recommended as an itinerary in educational tours.
When asked how much the company invested in creating the museum, MPFI Chief Growth and Development Officer Mavin Tiu Lim said: “It is a large investment, a multi-million investment.”
“We had a hard time having it approved because it does not have return on investment as we will not be selling tickets. It is non-profit,” he said.
“This is really a way for us to help the local governments and the students, so it is really a big investment on our part because we will not be able get what we invested,” he added.
MPFI also tapped Philippine Amusement and Entertainment Corp., a creator and operator of indoor interactive tourism and education attractions, to curate and manage the museum.
“The said partnership will strengthen the support of both companies to the K-12 basic education and MATATAG Agenda of the Department of Education as well as the Department of Tourism’s campaign to showcase the countless reasons to love the Philippines,” the company said.
The 906-square-meter museum will officially open to interested groups and organizations starting September inside the company’s manufacturing facility in Santo Tomas, Batangas.
Meanwhile, Ms. Lim-Chan said the company aims to further grow before going public by listing on the stock exchange.
“Actually, we have been preparing for it. We are ready for it, but again it depends on the market, it depends on how we grow with the public’s help. If we grow as much as we need to grow, then we will do the initial public offering (IPO),” she said.
“I cannot tell you the exact figure as of this time, but rest assured that we are doing everything we can para (so that) we will be good with our governance, we will be transparent with everyone, we are safe and risk-free, and we control everything,” she added.
She also said that the company’s top officials together with its strategic team and some bank partners are handling the preparation for the IPO.
