MAFBEX 2025 opens with strong industry backing, regional expansion
The country's premier food and beverage expo returns for its 19th year, spotlighting innovation, live demos, and new national competitions
By MB Lifestyle
The Manila Foods and Beverages Expo (MAFBEX) 2025 opened its doors June 11 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, marking its 19th year as a leading platform for food and beverage industry professionals.
This year’s opening ceremony featured Senator Mark Villar as keynote speaker. Also in attendance were government representatives including Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Philip C. Young, standing in for Secretary Francisco Laurel Jr.; and Angelica Roa-Yu, executive assistant for social services to Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano. Several members of the diplomatic corps were also present.
Roberta Lopez-Feliciano, managing director of ABS-CBN Foundation Inc., gave brief remarks at the event, highlighting the foundation’s continued partnership with event organizer Worldbex Services International.
Chef Abi Marquez, named Food Creator of the Year at the World of Influencers and Bloggers Awards, led the “Chefs of the World” segment with a cooking demonstration of her signature dish, puto maya with hot chocolate batirol.
The five-day expo features live cooking demonstrations, product launches, industry forums, and competitions, including the Culinary Cup: Home Chef, Latte Art Competition, and Young Hoteliers’ Exposition. A new addition this year is the Philippine National Coffee Competitions (PNCC), which includes the National Barista Championship and National Brewers Cup, held at the Brew District section of the venue.
Exhibitors from the Philippines and countries including South Korea, Japan, Poland, Belarus, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are showcasing food products, techniques, and business opportunities.
General admission tickets are ₱150 and provide one-day access. Event details and ticket purchases are available at mafbex.com. Updates are posted on social media with the hashtags #MAFBEX, #MAFBEX2025, and #EatsHere.
After Manila, MAFBEX will hold regional editions in Iloilo (July 17–20) at the Iloilo Convention Center and in Cebu (Sept. 11–14) at the IEC Convention Center Cebu.
The event is organized by Worldbex Services International.