EMPHASIZING a thrust to participate and develop clean and renewable energy projects “for our sustainability,” Tanduay Distillers Inc. President and COO Lucio K. Tan Jr. announced the revival of Asian Alcohol Corp. (AAC) next year.
“Our thrust [is to] reduce our carbon footprint to underscore our commitment to help mitigate the effects of climate change,” Tan Jr. said in his customary year-end message last week.
It was also in that message that the younger Tan revealed plans to revive the operation of the Bacolod-based facility that was “temporarily suspended” in 2010.
“Kapitan [Lucio Tan Sr.] made a strategic move to take one step backward in the hope of moving forward, a strategy that teaches us how to realize our future by our sacrifices of today. Next year, [AAC] will begin its biofuel production,” he said. “Like Absolut Distillers Inc. [ADI], it will blaze new paths and return to its old glory.”
Located on a 10-hectare plant, AAC was the second-largest distillery in the Philippines. The plant houses alcohol aging and wastewater treatment facilities, which converts distillery waste into biogas energy for its power requirements. It used to have a daily rated capacity of 210,000 liters of ethyl alcohol.
With this development, Tan Jr. said AAC is expected to be patterned after the success of ADI in Batangas, which has made more than P880 million from its bioethanol operations since 2015.
He also revealed that ADI “has commissioned a 6-effect evaporator as part of its continuous improvement and wastewater treatment upgrade.” Next year, a pot still distillery will be added to its operation together with a small mill, Tan Jr. said.
He added that Tanduay Distillers is expected to sell 20 million cases next year. Part of the growth plans are Tanduay’s more aggressive operations in pursuing the Luzon market and continued exploration of markets outside the country.
“I cannot wait to find out how we will fare against the best of the best,” he said. “Tanduay will grow its assets to compete and be even more relevant in the liquor industry.”
He also divulged that one of the companies under the group, Macroasia, will be going into “full blast” next year.
“Macroasia is going full blast with our thrust to address the future of water…our Chairman [Tan Sr.] has already been building dams to compliment the farmers with their harvest up north,” he added. “We are now investing more on this valuable liquid.”
“I believe this is incumbent upon us as a responsible corporate entity, where we can invest in technologies that will unravel economic opportunities for the group and our employees,” he said, encouraging his company executives to develop an ability to “go on offensive business mode”to adapt to a changing world, advocating technologies that are environmentally responsible and help ease the impacts of climate change.
