Filipino Entrepreneurs and Resources Network, Inc. will expand its product offering by yearend following an agreement with DSM, the world’s largest producer of vitamins.
FERN President and Chief Executive Officer Tommanny Tan said DSM reaffirmed its support and commitment to supply the company’s requirements during their June meeting in Singapore.
“The whole team came to discuss and they wanted to know what is happening in the Philippines. They wanted to know how we could strengthen our relationship and work better together.”
“We showed them our business of giving prosperity and they voiced their commitment to continue supporting the company. We already signed a new agreement for FERN’s latest product. We are guaranteed products that are world-class and clinically proven,” he remarked.
This was the first time the Dutch group board met with a Philippine client directly. FERN earlier secured a guaranteed supply contract for 2008 from DSM. The deal ensures FERN will be able to meet the increased demand for FERN-C Vitamin C. In the first five months of 2008, sales of FERN-C surged by 60% compared to the same period last year.
“FERN-C has become a shining example of what can be achieved through creativeness and entrepreneurship while providing true benefits in every sense to your members”, said DSM Nutritional Products VP for Human Nutrition & Health for Asia Pacific, Mr. Roland Schlagenhauf.
FERN, which was represented by Chairman Rodolfo Santos and Mr. Tan, was the only Philippine company DSM discussed growth prospects with. Mr. Tan said DSM also offered to share its studies on Vitamin C and assist on Vitamin C which they agreed to share with us. This helps us in our efforts to help prevent and treat ailments,” he added.
DSM operates through four business segments: nutrition, performance materials, pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals. DSM’s nutritional business is the world’s leading supplier of vitamins and carotenoids to the feed, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. FERN’s presentation of its business was very well received by the DSM Nutritional Products Strategic Board and has left a lasting impression on their team, according to DSM officials.
Leendert Staal, President of DSM Nutritional Products declared, “The management of FERN are true entrepreneurs, and I am looking forward to other product launches with FERN.”
DR. AMY OBUSAN & TEAM ORANGE 7
FERN recognizes the need for further research on sodium ascorbate and its importance in the development, growth and maintenance of a healthy body. As part of the company’s commitment to improve the well-being of every Filipino, Dr. Amelia Reyes-Obusan and FERN President Tommanny Tan conceived Project Orange 7 to monitor the product efficacy of sodium ascorbate.
The team is composed of two sub-units. One group handles clinic duties, which includes patient reviews and record management. The group works directly with Drs. Amelia Reyes-Obusan. The FERN free clinic program has handled over 15,000 patients since 2006.
The other unit is responsible for research writing. This involves case study writing, in-depth interviews with patients, clinic data analysis, literature review, library work, and internet research. The research team participates occasionally in academic and medical conferences related to public health and Philippine health care systems.
Team Orange 7 Research Director Anthony Balisi said the team is also involved in documenting the medical and cultural knowledge of patients, members, and stockists on perceptions of FERN-C efficacy on key medical conditions.
As a venture towards expanding into a knowledge-based and a health service oriented firm, Project Orange 7 is an initiative to organize, verify and systematize the medical and clinical data from the free clinic program. When harnessed, these data may be used for the future expansion of the FERN business entity.