Ginebra San Miguel Inc. (GSMI, ) () (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.) is a

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

-based diversified

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoo ...

company majority-owned by

San Miguel Corporation San Miguel Corporation, abbreviated as SMC, is a Philippine multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. Originally founded i ...

(SMC).

History

La Tondeña was established in 1902 by Carlos Palanca, Sr. in

Tondo, Manila Tondo is a district located in Manila, Philippines. It is the largest in terms of area and population of Manila's sixteen districts, with a Census-estimated 631,313 people in 2015 and consists of two congressional districts. It is also the seco ...

and incorporated as La Tondeña Inc. in 1929. The company name was inspired from its location. The distillery pioneered the production of alcohol derived from molasses, instead of the commonly used

nipa palm ''Nypa fruticans'', commonly known as the nipa palm (or simply nipa, from ms, nipah) or mangrove palm, is a species of palm native to the coastlines and estuarine habitats of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only palm considered adapt ...

. In 1924, it acquired the Ayala Distillery (Destilería Ayala) from Ayala y Compañía (precursor of

Ayala Corporation Ayala Corporation (Spanish: ''Corporación Ayala'', formerly ''Ayala y Compañía'' (Ayala & Company)) is the publicly listed holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by Domingo Róxas and A ...

). In 1955, the company acquired Añejo Rhum from Tabacalera (

Compañía General de Tabacos de Filipinas The , S.A. (''General Tobacco Company of the Philippines'', abbreviated CdF), also known as the , was a Spanish multinational joint-stock company, one of the world's most important enterprises in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the P ...

). In 1957, it acquired the trademark rights to

Kulafu Kulafu was one of the earliest comic book heroes in the Philippines. Created on July 7, 1933, by Filipino illustrator Francisco Reyes and Filipino writer Pedrito Reyes, Kulafu appeared on the first colored adventure strip and the first two-pag ...

to launch Vino Kulafu Chinese herbal wine. The company was renamed La Tondeña Distillers, Inc. (LTDI) in 1987 after being acquired by San Miguel Corporation from the Palanca family. The company adopted its present name Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. on March 7, 2003. On November 6, 2017, SMC announced the consolidation of its beverage businesses into San Miguel Pure Foods Company, Inc. through a share swap deal. San Miguel Pure Foods will acquire 216.97 million shares in GSMI from SMC. As a result, San Miguel Pure Foods will own 76% of GSMI with SMC as the minority. After the consolidation, San Miguel Pure Foods will be renamed San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc.

Ginebra San Miguel brand history

In June 1834, Casa Róxas established the Ayala Distillery, the first distillery in the Philippines. It produced a variety of drinks including anis, anisette, cognac, rum, whisky and gin (Ginebra Ayala, Ginebra San Miguel, Ginebra Nacional, Ginebra Extra, Ginebra Doble Extra, among others). The distillery was located in Quiapo, Manila and was a major business of Ayala y Compañía (successor of Casa Róxas) when it was acquired by La Tondeña on June 21, 1924.

Monde Selection awards

GSMI has received eight Quality Awards (five golds and three silvers) at the 2012 World Quality Selections, organized yearly by

Monde Selection Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products, created in 1961. It is run by the commercial company, International Institute for Quality Selections, Brussels, Belgium. Consumer products are tasted a ...

. Three of the brands have also earned the Monde Selection's ''International High Quality Trophy'', granted to products achieving Grand Gold or

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

Awards for three consecutive years.GSMI dominates Monde Selection
, tribune.net.ph, Monday, July 9, 2012

Sports teams

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in the league, it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.), a subsidia ...

( PBA)

References

External links