MANILA, Philippines — Tanduay president and COO Lucio Tan III and executive vice president Kyle Tan are leading Tanduay’s aggressive expansion in the United States and other countries. Most recently, the younger Tan worked on the partnership with leading US beverage distributor, Hensley Beverage Co., for its distribution in Arizona.
Chad Marston, chief sales officer of Hensley Beverage Co., said that they expect the Philippine-made rum to have a strong customer following in the state.
Apart from Tanduay’s aggressive international expansion, the Tan brothers are spearheading the company’s move toward digital technology such as e-commerce. They both have a strong background in computer science and technology, having worked for tech giants in the United States before joining Tanduay in 2020.
Lucio Tan III has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University, and has worked at Lyft in the Bay Area. Kyle Tan has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California and was working for Microsoft before joining Tanduay.
Lucio Tan III has given his younger brother the task of Tanduay’s overseas expansion. Since last year, Kyle Tan has been hands-on in the negotiations with prospective distribution partners such as the one with Hensley Beverage Co. and exploring other export opportunities.
He is also spearheading Tanduay’s further expansion in Europe, where Tanduay is now available in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Expansion in Canada is also underway and should be done by the end of the first quarter of this year.
It is the young Tans’ goal to continue the vision of their grandfather, chairman Lucio Tan, and their father, Lucio Tan Jr., to make proudly Philippine-made brands recognized around the world.
Tanduay has already eclipsed rum brands from other countries in terms of sales to emerge as the World’s No. 1 Rum for three consecutive years. It has also received numerous awards from prestigious international wines and spirits competitions in the US, China, and Europe.
To date, Tanduay is available in the US states of Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, and the territory of Guam. It is also available in China, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and select cities in Europe.
Article and Photo originally posted by Philippine Star last April 20, 2021, 12:00am.
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