Tanduay in high spirits for global expansion

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February 2, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Lucio Tan–owned Tanduay is in high spirits at the prospect of its international push, with the company looking at conquering more markets abroad.

Tanduay international business development manager Roy Kristoffer Sumang said the company is in talks with potential partners to bring its products to more markets across Europe.

“For Tanduay, right now, our key targets are still expanding in Europe. Whether it’s a country like Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, those are our targets,” Sumang said.

“So right now, we’re in the western part of Europe, but we’re also trying to penetrate central and eastern Europe,” he said.

Sumang said that Tanduay, under the leadership of its president and CEO Lucio Tan III and COO Kyle Tan, is prioritizing to expand its reach in terms of the number of countries which it could penetrate.

Aside from European markets, Tanduay is also looking for other distributors in Australia.

“We used to export to Australia, but we encountered a hurdle with regard to the distribution since our distributor closed down. It so happened that we’re still looking for a right partner for it in terms of distribution,” Sumang said.

Tanduay, one of the Philippines’ most awarded rum brands, continues to position strongly in regions where consumers are increasingly open to exploring new rum experiences.

The company has made significant inroads into international markets, with its products now available across North America, Europe and Asia.

While the domestic market is expected to remain as its stronghold, Tanduay sees steady growth in the rum markets of the United States, Belgium, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.

“For example, surprisingly, one of the markets that’s growing for us is Ukraine. Even though they’re in distress right now because of what’s happening, but the economy itself, in terms of consumption, is still good,” Sumang said.

Late last year, Tanduay further expanded its European footprint with a new distribution partnership in Denmark forged with Bastard Spirits, a boutique distributor known for its premium-focused portfolio.

Sumang said around four to five new markets were added for Tanduay last year, including Denmark, Japan and India.

At present, he said less than one percent of the company’s total sales comes from international, positioning it for further growth in the coming years.

“Year-on-year it’s increasing. But if you compare with our sales here in the Philippines, then it’s small because we’re doing 23 million nine-liter cases here.  For us, we will be happy if we reach, for example, 100,000 cases (for international sales),” Sumang said.

“But in terms of the profit margin play, it provides a big role and importance to the company with regard to profitability. And it also boosts shareholder’s confidence since Tanduay is becoming known internationally because we’re expanding into other countries,” he said.