Eight micro, small, and medium enterprises from Isabela Province opened at FOODEX Japan 2026 on March 10, 2026, presenting their products at the Philippine Pavilion in Tokyo Big Sight under the provincial brand "ISAbela BEst LAku." Governor Rodolfo T. Albano III led the Isabela delegation, joined by provincial officials and DTI Isabela representatives. Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano visited the pavilion on opening day and expressed her support for regional enterprises seeking to build a foothold in the Japanese market.

This is Isabela's second consecutive year at FOODEX Japan — and that continuity is the detail worth noting.

Who Is There and What They're Bringing

The eight Isabela exhibitors are presenting a range of products that reflect the province's agricultural depth: cornicks, vegetable and fruit chips, cacao-based products, canned chevon, bignay and duhat fruit wines, fruit juices, and other value-added food products. The lineup spans multiple value chains — corn, cacao, livestock, and native fruits — demonstrating that Isabela's food processing sector is broader than any single commodity.

Two of the eight companies are returning participants. 3 Shers Food Products and JBM Food Products both joined FOODEX Japan in 2025 and are back this year to deepen their market presence. That return signals something important: these are enterprises that found enough value in last year's participation to come back, which is more meaningful than a first-time appearance. Joining them are Agricom Best Food Corp., Caviteño Isabelino Multipurpose Cooperative, Jones Producers Cooperative, Quelly's Food Products, SA Cacao Food Products, and RLGV Fruit Wine Industry.

The Partnership Behind the Participation

The Isabela delegation is the result of a collaborative effort between the DTI Isabela Provincial Office and the Provincial Government of Isabela, facilitated through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions — DTI's export promotions arm. DTI specialists Mary Rose M. Dumpit and Jillean M. Flores accompanied the delegation to support the enterprises on the ground.

That institutional partnership — provincial government providing the brand and logistics backbone, DTI providing the trade development infrastructure — is what makes a coordinated eight-enterprise delegation possible. Individual MSMEs rarely have the resources or networks to navigate an international trade exhibition alone. The "ISAbela BEst LAku" brand gives participating enterprises a collective identity that signals provincial backing and product quality assurance to international buyers.

What This Means for Northern Luzon

Isabela is the Philippines' top corn-producing province and one of the largest in Cagayan Valley. Its MSMEs have long processed local agricultural products for domestic markets. FOODEX Japan — one of Asia's largest food and beverage trade shows — is a direct test of whether those products can compete internationally, and for the second consecutive year, Isabela is showing up with a coordinated answer. For other Northern Luzon provinces watching, the Isabela model is instructive: a provincial brand, a consistent DTI partnership, and a commitment to returning year after year rather than treating trade expo participation as a one-time event.

Isabela-based food enterprises interested in future international trade participation can reach out to the DTI Isabela Provincial Office. For other Northern Luzon provinces building their own MSME export pipelines, CITEM's trade exposition programs are the most direct entry point into international markets that domestic agencies currently offer.

Source: DTI R2 Isabela