Qatar market ‘ripe’ for Philippine F&B enterprises, says business council official

Opportunities to grow Filipino enterprises specialising in the country’s food and beverages (F&B) sector are aplenty in the Qatari market, an official of the Philippine Business Council – Qatar (PBC-Q) has said.

Sky Gonzales, head of Marketing & Events at PBC-Q, lauded the resilience of the Qatari economy, saying it was able to withstand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic owing to strong government support and initiatives.

“Most economies worldwide, including Qatar, have been steadily opening up after the Covid-19 pandemic, thus allowing many sectors to flourish, among which are F&B businesses,” Gonzales explained to Gulf Times Wednesday.

Gonzales’ statement comes at the heels of the ongoing ‘Filipino Food Month’, which kicked off recently. In an earlier statement, the Philippine embassy announced that it is collaborating with Doha-Based Filipino restaurants “to pay tribute to Filipino chefs and restaurateurs who bring the unique taste of Filipino cuisine to Qatar.”

Philippine ambassador Lillibeth Pono enjoined the public to savour and enjoy Filipino cuisine by visiting the participating food establishments: Loming Barako, Pearl of Beirut, Maya’s Kitchen, Cocina de Rose, Maharlika Park Restaurant, Filipino Hot Pack, Gerry’s Grill, FlaminGo, and Deqada.

While acknowledging the challenges involved in scaling up restaurants serving Filipino cuisine, Gonzales noted that he believes there are ample opportunities here “to turn around the challenges presented” by maintaining the food’s quality, taste, and presentation.

He emphasised that aside from the opportunities to open and scale F&B enterprises, Filipino entrepreneurs are also given the chance to create and generate employment, as well as to stimulate the local economy.

Earlier, Ferlita Pabalan, the president of the Doha-based Overseas Filipino Investors & Entrepreneurs Movement (OFIE-M), stated that more Filipino entrepreneurs are succeeding in multiple industries here via the constant support from Qatar and the Philippine embassy.

Pabalan lauded the work attitude, creative thinking, focus, and determination of Filipino entrepreneurs in Qatar, which she described as an asset and strength in creating a better business portfolio.

Aside from the food industry, Pabalan said she expects Qatar-based Filipino entrepreneurs to become more prominent in the fields of hospitality, trade and industry, health and wellness, manpower and professional services, and financial technology.

Similarly, OFIE-M auditor and chairman on Training and Development Jyerex Go Abrasado noted that there have been many opportunities for Filipino entrepreneurs to establish their own companies or startups here due to Qatar’s “flourishing entrepreneurship culture and vibrant business environment.”

Abrasado emphasised that Qatar provides strong support to entrepreneurs through various authorities, including Qatar Development Bank (QDB), Digital Incubation Centre (DIC), Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), Qatar Business & Incubation Centre (QBIC), and other similar public and private entities, among others.