Century Pacific Food, Inc. (PSE: CNPF), one of the biggest food companies in the Philippines, recently shared its financial report card for the first three months of 2026. According to their filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company showed strong performance despite facing challenging times.

What Did Century Pacific Achieve?

Think of a company’s revenue as all the money it makes from selling its products. Century Pacific’s revenues grew by 15% compared to the same period last year, reaching Php 23.0 billion. That’s like if you had 100 pesos last year and now you have 115 pesos—you made 15 pesos more!

The company’s net income (the actual profit they keep after paying all expenses and taxes) increased by 10% to Php 2.1 billion. While this is good news, the profit didn’t grow as fast as sales because of some challenges we’ll explain below.

What Does Century Pacific Sell?

Century Pacific makes everyday food items that Filipino families buy regularly. About 80% of their sales come from their “Branded” products—these are items you might see in your kitchen like canned tuna (Century Tuna), corned beef, milk, and coconut products.

The remaining 20% comes from what they call “OEM Exports.” This means they make tuna and coconut products for other companies who sell them under different brand names in other countries.

Why Did Sales Increase?

Both parts of Century Pacific’s business did well:

• Branded products grew by 11%: More Filipino families bought their products because people were looking for affordable, trusted food brands during difficult economic times.
• OEM Exports jumped by 32%: This segment bounced back strongly after struggling last year. International demand for their tuna and coconut products improved.

New Products for Budget-Conscious Shoppers

Understanding that many families are watching their budgets carefully, Century Pacific launched new affordable options during the first quarter. They introduced Blue Bay Corned Tuna and Superbowl by Century Tuna—a ready-to-eat meal with protein and rice designed for people who need quick, affordable food on-the-go.

The Challenge: Rising Costs

Here’s where it gets tricky. The company’s “gross margin” (a measure of profitability) decreased by 100 basis points to 25.1%. In simple terms, it became more expensive to make their products because the cost of ingredients went up.

However, Century Pacific had a secret advantage: because they sell products to other countries and earn money in US dollars, when the peso weakens against the dollar, they actually benefit. This helped offset the higher costs. Chad Manapat, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, explained that their export business acted as a “natural hedge” against rising expenses.

Thanks to careful cost management and these foreign exchange gains, their operating margin (another profitability measure) actually improved slightly by 20 basis points to 11.9%.

Why Did Profit Grow Slower Than Sales?

Even though the company’s operating income grew by 17% (almost as fast as sales), the final profit only grew by 10%. This happened because Century Pacific had to pay more taxes. Their tax rate increased from 15.6% to 19.4% because some of their tax incentives (special government discounts on taxes) expired. Net profit margin decreased slightly by 40 basis points to 9.1%.

What’s Ahead for Century Pacific?

According to Manapat’s statement in the filing, the company expects continued challenges ahead due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which can affect global food prices and supply chains. The company plans to:

• Cut unnecessary spending
• Prepare multiple plans for different scenarios
• Carefully manage prices to keep products affordable while dealing with higher costs
• Continue investing in their budget-friendly product lines
• Keep investing in factories, technology, and supply chain for long-term growth

Manapat emphasized that the company’s mission to provide “affordable nutrition” to Filipino families remains their top priority during these uncertain times.

About Century Pacific Food

Century Pacific Food, Inc. trades on the Philippine Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CNPF. The company is headquartered at the 7th Floor, Centerpoint Building, Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. As of the report date, the company has 3,542,258,595 common shares outstanding.

This information comes from Century Pacific Food’s SEC Form 17-C filed on May 7, 2026, reporting events and financial results for the first quarter of 2026.

This article is based on the company’s official press release and disclosures filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange’s Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology (PSE EDGE) system. For the complete and official version of the announcement, readers may visit the PSE EDGE website and search for the company’s filing directly.