Cebu-based bakery group goes premium with Dutch partner

The company behind San Jose Bakeshop is moving upmarket, betting that Cebu consumers are increasingly willing to pay for better bread.

- Ehda M Dagooc Staff Member

The Cebu-based bakery group has partnered with Dutch master baker Hans Boumans to introduce artisanal European loaves under the Bakery Soesterberg brand, marking its first foray into the premium bakery segment as tastes shift toward higher-quality, freshly made products.

Company President Jojo Toingko in an interview said the venture combines San Jose's local market knowledge with Boumans' decades-long expertise in European breadmaking. Boumans traces his family's baking roots to the late 19th century, when his grandfather opened a bakery in Benschop, the Netherlands, a tradition that has been handed down through generations.