Jollibee eyes deeper Canadian collaboration to boost supply chain and growth

The Jollibee Group is looking north. During a visit by Heath MacDonald, Canada’s minister of agriculture and agri-food, the Filipino fast-food giant explored opportunities to deepen collaboration with Canada, aiming to enhance its global supply chain network and sourcing capabilities.

Minister MacDonald, accompanied by senior Canadian officials, was welcomed at Jollibee Group headquarters in Manila by global president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong and global chief business support officer William Tan Untiong. Tanmantiong highlighted the company’s growing Canadian footprint: as of July 2025, Jollibee operates 28 stores across five provinces, namely Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia. Its burger brand Smashburger has also established six locations in the country.

“Canada remains a valuable and strategic market for the Jollibee Group - not only for expanding our store network, but also as a key partner in strengthening and localising our supply chain,” said Tanmantiong. “We are thankful for the opportunity to collaborate more closely with the Canadian government in exploring new opportunities that will allow us to serve more customers and communities worldwide.”

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Discussions focused on leveraging Canada’s high-quality agricultural products, identifying sourcing opportunities for key ingredients, and enhancing logistics partnerships to support Jollibee’s growing presence in North America and beyond.

“Jollibee has made its way into the hearts of so many Canadians. We are grateful that you have chosen Canada to be one of your global expansion hubs and for contributing to the vibrant culinary industry in our country,” said MacDonald.

The visit included a stop at Jollibee’s 1000th store in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, where the delegation sampled signature menu items such as Chickenjoy fried chicken and participated in a Jolly Kiddie Party celebration, highlighting the brand’s combination of food and family-friendly experience.

Back home, the Jollibee Group also continues to strengthen its impact. Recently, in partnership with the Philippine department of education (DepEd), the company is co-developing a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Senior High School curriculum under the TechPro track, alongside a commitment to build 50 classrooms by 2028.

“At a time when AI and tech disruption are reshaping industries and jobs, this collaboration gives our learners not only the right skills but also the resilience to thrive. The commitment to build 50 new classrooms by 2028 also shows how this partnership invests in both knowledge and space, ensuring that more Filipino students are equipped for the future of work,” said DepEd secretary Sonny Angara.

Joseph Tanbuntiong, Jollibee’s Philippines CEO, emphasised the program long-term vision: “We believe real, lasting change begins when students learn in safe, inspiring classrooms, and see a clear path from classroom to career - when every Joy Learning Centre is where hope takes root, and every QSR immersion is where that hope grows into skill, confidence, and opportunity.”

The curriculum combines classroom instruction with immersive on-the-job training across Jollibee Group brands, equipping students with restaurant operations skills including food preparation, customer service, safety and sanitation, and business communication.

Alongside this, Jollibee will start building six classrooms in Mindoro, Cebu, and Sarangani in 2026, contributing to the broader Joy of Learning programme that includes feeding initiatives and aims to create inclusive, sustainable learning environments.

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