This article is available in Spanish.

Despite the shared culture and connection among the Philippines, Latin America and Spain, the Philippines is not really a top destination for Latinos and Spaniards. Regardless of the disappointing statistics, many tourists of Hispanic descent still find their way to the Philippines, look for place to call home and even build a family. Just take a look at Latinos en Filipinas and Españoles en Filipinas groups on Facebook and you’ll see.

If you’re a Latino/Spaniard currently living in the country or maybe a Filipino who longs for Hispanic products, here’s where you can buy Latin American and Spanish products in the Philippines:

Manila Bambi Foods Company

Majority of supermarkets in the Philippines don’t have racks specifically displaying products from Latin America or Spain. But there’s a food manufacturing company in Metro Manila that sells some of them online.

Manila Bambi Foods Company manufactures and even imports food products from abroad, including goods mostly from Latin America. Upon looking at their shop, they mostly have select products from Mexico: tortilla wraps, nacho chips and taco shells. Do you want some sauce? They have products such as Faron Nacho Cheese Sauce, El Mexicano Nacho Cheese Sauce, El Mexicano Salsa, Macha Guacamole, Macha Salsa Verde, El Mexicano Sliced Jalapeno and more.

How to order? You can buy products directly on Manila Bambi Foods Company’s website.

MexiLocoPH on Shopee and Lazada

Online retail sites Shopee and Lazada have now become go-to destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost everything you can think of is already available there. In some cases, online shopping sites are better than most supermarkets as they sell products that are not widely available.

One such example is MexiLocoPH. The said online store sells “authentic Mexican products that will satisfy your Mexican cravings from chilis, hot sauce, jalapeño, down to sweets,” and of course we had to check them out. MexiLocoPH sells staples for many Mexicans such as taco shells, hot sauces and canned goods. They have popular products from brands like El Mexicano, Faraon, Doña Maria and Manila Bambi Foods Company as well.

How to shop? Sign up for an account on Shopee or Lazada if you still don’t have one; it doesn’t matter which. Then, start adding to your virtual cart.

Bares & Estrellas Wine and Food Services Corp

Tapas and wine make a good pair. But where to find Spanish wines in the Philippines?

Well, there’s Bares & Estrellas Wine and Food Services, which imports and “distributes the best of Spanish food and wine brands to deli shops and restaurants.” Some of their popular drinks are red wines, white wines, cava and sangria among others. They carry wines and beers from labels in Spain such as Beronia, Martin Codax, Vallformosa, Estrella Galicia, Ponte da Boga and in Argentina such as Salentein.

They also have variety of products from the Murcia-based company Aceitunas Karina. Some of them are aceitunas verdes rellenas de anchoa, acetunas manzanilla rellenas de pimiento, negras deshueadas and more. In terms of food, they also have fruit and vegetable preserves, canned goods, oils and fish preserves. For a full list of products they import from Spain, you can visit their website.

How to place an order? It’s challenging to order straight from their website as there isn’t an option to add products to a virtual cart. However, you can email them at [email protected] or call them at +639171498702 for inquiries.

Winery.ph

Winery.ph is also another Philippine-based wine distributor company. They import wines from different wine-exporting countries. In fact, they have collections of wines from Argentina, Chile and Spain. They claim that their wines are more affordable than the ones available in supermarkets.

How to buy? You can directly add products to a virtual cart on their website.

Though a “gold mine,” the four establishments aforementioned may not have everything you need. If budget is not an issue, you can try shipping services — the Manila galleon of the 21st century — that deliver from Spain or Latin America to the Philippines.


Do you know other stores in the Philippines that sell products imported from Latin America or Spain? Email us.

Arvyn Cerézo
Arvyn Cerézo is an arts and culture writer/reporter with bylines in Book Riot, Publishers Weekly, South China Morning Post, PhilSTAR Life, the Asian Review of Books, and other publications. You can find him on arvyncerezo.com and @ArvynCerezo on Twitter.

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