Growing up in Binondo, Manila during the early 80s, I can never get over the sights, smells and tastes of the food of Manila’s Chinatown. I remember times when me and my mom would go to a nearby noodle house in the afternoon for a hearty bowl of “Ma-kee Mee” a Hokkien-style soup typically made of pork and egg noodles, seasoned with spices, and thickened with cassava starch, making it rich and sticky.
An essential ingredient of Ma-kee Mee which makes it extra flavourful is soy sauce. Although there are many other more premium soy sauce brands, it is usually the locally, more affordable brands that make Chinese-Filipino, and Filipino dishes, taste the way it does and one such brand is Select Soy Sauce, which I can remember lining the shelves of groceries in Manila.
Fast forward to 2019 and Select Soy Sauce and Select Sukang Puti is finally arriving on Mindanao’s shores. Produced in the Philippines by Wellmade Manufacturing Corporation, a trusted brand by Filipinos, the Select brand is synonymous to quality and taste, essential elements of a product that make food taste extra special for 44 years.
“A husband and wife Chinese migrants established Essential Manufacturing in 1975 with Select Soy Sauce and Select Vinegar as the company’s main products. With limited capital, they started a small business with minimal production and distribution limited in Luzon,” said Joseph Charles Cruel, the managing director of Wellmade who was at the recent roadshow event to launch Select Soy Sauce and Select Sukang Puti at the Dusit D2 Hotel Davao.
“We’re a year short of turning 45 years old. We took small yet sure steps with the company’s growth. This year will be another milestone for Wellmade when the Select products will start its distribution in Visayas and Mindanao,” he said.
Select products has been tried and tested for more than four decades now. It uses a Chinese tradition of making soy sauce, which is passed from generation to generation. The soy sauce is made with with naturally-fermented soy and the sukang puti is made from naturally fermented sugar cane.
The high quality raw ingredients and the process makes a big difference in flavor. The Select Soy Sauce has the right degree of saltiness with a hint of sweetness, while the Select Vinegar has that fresh, lightly salted taste to it.
From my first bite of the food prepared at the event using Select Soy Sauce and Select Cane Vinegar, all my memories of Manila in the 80s came flooding through my mind. The soy sauce enhanced the sweetness of the Chicken Adobo while the vinegar added a bright tangy finish to the rich dish. Another fan favourite was the Pancit Canton using Select Soy Sauce which was well-balanced with a rich umami flavour.
While for many, a high quality product may be expensive, but true to the mission of Wellmade, Select Soy Sauce and Select Cane Vinegar is priced competitively, making it affordable to everyone.
“In fact, in Luzon, we are priced lower than the brands Select shares the grocery, sari-sari store and even the public market shelves with. The 200ml Select Soy Sauce with Easy Twist Cap is only Php 7.50 while the 200ml Select Sukang Puti with Easy Twist Cap is tagged low at Php 5.35. Price and positioning of the products should be very accessible to everyone. We will make sure it is the same in Visayas and Mindanao,” added Joseph.
With the high quality and safety seal of Select Soy Sauce and Select Sukang Puti now available in the Mindanao market, every household chef can whip up the favourite family recipes at a lesser cost. Now, that’s a sulit sarap deal I can always sink my teeth into.
