A Taste of Healthy Living with Vegetari

Filipino food snacks have always held a special place in local food culture, flavorful, comforting, and endlessly inventive. From classic “merienda” staples to modern reinventions, these bite-sized favorites continue to evolve with changing tastes and lifestyles. Among the brands shaping this shift is Vegetari, which has spent over a decade turning a personal pursuit of vegetarian comfort food into a thriving business exporting Filipino-made plant-based snacks around the world.

The story began in 2013, when Mr. Arvin Kisig Lopez, Vegetari’s founder and a vegetarian for over 20 years, realized that the market offered few choices for those who wanted healthier meals without losing the familiar tastes of home. This inspired the opening of a vegetarian restaurant in Los Baños, Laguna, first catering to students through affordable campus meals and later expanding to professionals with the Satya Graha Café and Restaurant.

These ventures showed that while affordability mattered, quality was essential to creating lasting impact. Out of this came bestsellers like the “Vegchon Kawale,” a plant-based take on lechon kawali or crispy deep-fried pork belly, and eventually the discovery of its true breakthrough product: a crispy seaweed appetizer that instantly sold out at a local bazaar. From then on, Vegetari knew it had found its product-market fit.

What was once intended to serve healthier budget meals for students has grown into a brand that connects comfort, creativity, and sustainability, setting the stage for its next chapter.

Journey to the Global Stage

After a name change to A.A. Global OPC, and gaining support from the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry’s One Town, One Product (OTOP) program, Vegetari improved its branding and packaging, setting the stage for wider distribution. Starting from pasalubong (souvenir) shops around Laguna, its products began reaching health shops in Manila and eventually international customers. Today, Vegetari exports to various countries.

Lopez shared the company’s story of growth and opportunities, he also reflected on the challenges of the business. Packaging, for instance, has always been a hurdle in terms of balancing sustainability and practicality. While the company aspires to reduce its environmental footprint, export requirements demand durability and shelf life. Such contrast continues to shape its production decisions. On the consumer side, feedback has been clear: people want to know exactly what goes into their food. Responding to this, Vegetari uses coconut oil, natural sea salt instead of iodized salt, and keeps all its products gluten-free to  ensure that it fits the vegetarian diet.

Vegetari’s Global Impact

These choices underline a core philosophy: Plant-based food doesn’t have to mean compromise. “We aim to show that plant-based food has a lower carbon footprint and that it can be a healthier option, not necessarily ‘super healthy,’ but healthier comfort food,” Lopez said. This pragmatic approach has helped Vegetari appeal not only to vegetarians and vegans, but also to mainstream consumers looking for better snacking alternatives. 

Today, Vegetari exports its products to Australia, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Dubai, and the United States, where shipments have grown more consistent, especially during and after the pandemic. Its flagship items, like crispy seaweed snacks and shiitake mushroom cracklings, are recognized for delivering both familiar taste and innovation, qualities that resonate strongly in the growing categories of Snacks and Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Food and Ready-to-Eat Savories and Home Meal Replacement (HMR). 

Championing Sustainable Filipino Food

Through its vision, A.A. GLOBAL OPC not only champions the potential of plant-based food, but also reinforces the Philippines’ place in the international food industry. It is proof that with persistence, innovation, and a commitment to balance, Filipino snacks can both honor tradition and embrace the future.

Their participation in IFEX Philippines since 2017 has been instrumental in helping Vegetari reach wider markets by providing a platform to connect with trade buyers, industry partners, and consumers looking for innovative food solutions in the local scene. Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), IFEX Philippines is the country’s biggest business-to-business and export-oriented international trade show for food, beverages, and ingredients, spotlighting products that champion quality, sustainability, and global competitiveness. IFEX Philippines 2026 will once again gather local and international players from May 21-23, 2026 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City. 

Catch Vegetari at IFEX Philippines 2026 as it showcases its flagship plant-based snacks and continues its mission to make healthier Filipino food part of the global conversation. 

Learn more about Vegetari and other Filipino exporters at IFEX Connect.

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Banner caption: A variety of Vegetari’s plant-based Filipino snacks. (Photo shot by Tripples)