In the world of food and agribusiness, the journey from mill to meal is rarely simple. It demands sharp strategy, scientific precision, and the kind of resilience that thrives under pressure.
For an industry long perceived as male-dominated, the scene is beginning to shift. More women are stepping forward, quietly steering the systems that keep the food value chain moving.
This Sunday, March 8, International Women’s Day, Aboitiz Foods launches “HERstory: The Women Who Make Things Happen”, a campaign that celebrates the women shaping the company’s impact across farms, laboratories, and markets. Inspired by the global theme “Give to Gain,” the initiative highlights how empowering women across science, technology, and agribusiness creates a ripple effect that strengthens the entire ecosystem.
Consider the path of Norie Bermudez, First Vice President and Country Director for Agribusiness Philippines. Her story at Pilmico Foods Corp. began nearly three decades ago in frontline sales. Today, she helps steer the company’s agribusiness operations, guiding a team that spans generations of industry veterans and emerging professionals.
Bermudez’s leadership blends instinct with insight, grounded in the belief that growth means little if it does not uplift the farmers and communities at the heart of the industry.
Behind the scenes, science keeps the system steady. At PT Gold Coin Indonesia, Sahera Nofyangtri oversees nutrition and research with the careful eye of someone running a high-stakes kitchen. Each feed formulation must pass meticulous checks before reaching farms, because the integrity of the food chain begins long before food reaches the table.
That scientific rigor continues in the field through the work of Dr. Emiechelle Rivera, a veterinary services and training specialist at Pilmico Animal Nutrition Corp. Her focus is prevention, designing programs that help farmers detect and manage disease risks before they spread. Healthy animals, after all, are the foundation of a stable food supply.
Turning innovation into real-world value requires another skill altogether. In the aquaculture segment, product marketing manager Phuong Nguyen Thi Truc bridges science and storytelling, translating technical data into solutions farmers can understand and use. In the competitive gamefowl market, assistant vice president Floreda Molina leads with technical credibility and a deep understanding of the communities she serves.
Their work ultimately reaches partners like Marilou Capiendo, a backyard duck farmer in Tarlac who has worked with Pilmico for 15 years. With the right support and knowledge, she transformed a small farm into a thriving livelihood that supports her family and local resellers.
Capiendo believes the true measure of business success goes far beyond the numbers in her pocketbook. For her, it is counted in the women she has helped empower along the way. “When they see what we’ve achieved,” she said, “they begin to believe that if we can do it, they can, too.”
HERstory brings these journeys together. When women are empowered with knowledge, trust, and opportunity, their success does more than break barriers. It feeds communities and moves the entire food system forward.
