Big E Food Corporation, the company behind the Lemon Square brand of cakes, pastries, and snacks, has opened a new manufacturing plant at LIMA Estate in Batangas. The facility is the company’s second production base and a deliberate move to serve southern Philippines, expand capacity for its existing products, and create room to enter new food categories.
Covering 118,132 square meters (11.8 hectares), the new plant marks a major expansion of Big E’s manufacturing footprint. The facility enhances capacity for its existing product lines, supports the development of new offerings, and provides a platform for entry into additional food segments. It also positions the company to deepen its market presence and expand distribution throughout the Visayas and Mindanao.
A Homegrown Manufacturer’s Next Phase of Growth
Founded in 1985, Big E Food Corporation began as a small, family-run bakery and has grown into one of the country’s established producers of baked goods and snacks. Its flagship brand, Lemon Square, is a staple in Filipino households across generations, with a product line spanning cakes, cookies, pastries, and snacks distributed through supermarkets, convenience stores, and neighborhood retailers nationwide.
The company’s original plant in Bulacan anchors its northern operations. As demand grew for both its packaged and freshly baked products, Big E identified the need for a strategic base to serve markets in the South and the additional capacity and operational flexibility that a second facility would provide.
Choosing LIMA Estate
Home to more than 200 foreign and domestic manufacturers, supporting 75,000 jobs, LIMA Estate demonstrates how integrated industrial development can support the growth of homegrown companies such as Big E Food Corporation, enabling continued investment, increased production capacity, and sustained job creation.
Big E evaluated several locations across Laguna and Batangas before selecting LIMA Estate. The decision came down to the estate’s facilities, security, and management, and to a key commercial consideration: the option to own its land rather than lease it.
“Our original plant in Bulacan serves the North, so we needed a strategic base to serve the South,” shared Ernesto Ramos Jr., Technical Director of Big E. “We looked at several areas in Laguna and Batangas, and LIMA Estate stood out. They gave us the option to own our land rather than lease, along with reliable facilities, strong security, and a management team that was straightforward to work with.”
The company also pointed to the day-to-day support it received through construction and the value of operating within a larger industrial community — a contrast to its Bulacan site in a residential setting.
“Big E Food Corporation’s decision to establish its southern manufacturing base here reflects the kind of long-term commitment LIMA Estate is built to support. From land ownership to infrastructure and on-the-ground support, our role is to give locators the certainty they need to expand and operate efficiently, and to grow alongside a community of fellow manufacturers,” shared Clifford M. Academia, Vice President of Industrial and Commercial Business, Aboitiz Economic Estates.
For more than four decades, Big E Food Corporation has been a familiar presence in Filipino households through its Lemon Square brand, producing a broad portfolio of baked snack products enjoyed by Filipino consumers nationwide.
Investing in Communities
At full operations, the plant is expected to generate 2,000 jobs while supporting workforce development through a technical skills training program that equips workers for long-term career growth.
Big E is also extending its community programs around the new facility, including school feeding initiatives and scholarships for employees’ children.
“Helping out has always been part of who we are, inside and outside the company. We’re creating jobs, teaching technical skills, and investing in the community so families here have a more stable future,” said Ramos.
Looking Ahead
Big E’s investment reflects a broader pattern at LIMA Estate, where local and international manufacturers are expanding to meet sustained domestic demand. As consumer markets across the country continue to grow, established companies are choosing to build capacity locally, and to do so within an integrated industrial environment that supports long-term operations.
For LIMA Estate, Big E’s decision adds to a community of manufacturers across food, mobility, and consumer goods that have made the estate a base for serving the Philippine market and the wider region. Big E plans to keep developing its operations at LIMA Estate as it pursues new products and broader distribution, describing the Batangas plant as the foundation for its next phase of growth.
