For over 50 years, Y.E.S. Export Corporation has proudly served as a trusted purveyor of premium Filipino ingredients to the global market. We've become a familiar name, particularly in the United States, where our innovative spirit shone through with the creation of Individually Separated Lumpia Wrappers – a true game-changer that brought unparalleled convenience to Filipino-American households yearning for the authentic tastes of home. Facing an unforeseen challenge in 2022 with the U.S. FDA's ban on krill, which impacted our traditional bagoong exports, we chose the path of adaptation over stagnation. Embracing our expertise, we pivoted to introduce a preservative-free, dye-free, all-natural sautéed shrimp paste specifically for the local market – a testament to our unwavering commitment to the same high standards that have always defined our export-quality products.

Hadj Manalo calls himself a creative in the food industry — a fitting title for someone who has blended his eye for design with a deep passion for Filipino heritage. As the mind behind the packaging and branding of Manalo Filipino, Hadj isn’t just shaping how Filipino food looks on the shelf; he’s helping shape how it’s remembered and celebrated.

When Hadj joined his family’s business, Y.E.S. Export Corporation, in 2021, the company had already spent decades quietly fulfilling a powerful mission: to serve as a culinary bridge connecting overseas Filipinos with their roots. Through high-quality, export-ready products, Y.E.S. Export Corporation provided a taste of home to countless Filipinos across the U.S., and more recently, in the Middle East and other growing international markets.

But something else was stirring beneath the surface — a vision to bring that same quality and care back home.

“We realized that the same export-quality experience we worked so hard to deliver abroad was something many Filipinos right here deserved too,” Hadj shares.

That realization sparked the birth of Manalo Filipino, a proudly local brand created with the Filipino family in mind. Built on clean ingredients, authentic recipes, and the same rigorous standards upheld in global export, Manalo Filipino aims to make culturally rooted food more accessible and convenient — without sacrificing tradition or taste.

The name "Manalo," taken from the family’s surname and meaning “to win” in Tagalog, reflects a deeper belief:

Every Filipino deserves a winning taste — food prepared with sincerity, authenticity, and unwavering quality.

Though the brand is still in its early chapters, Hadj and his team are proud of the strong foundation they’ve built. With each jar, wrapper, and product released under Manalo Filipino, they move closer to their goal: making the true taste of the Philippines a staple on every Filipino table — whether here or abroad.