Family values and understanding of the customer are among the key factors that drive the longevity of CDO Foodsphere, Inc.. According to president and CEO Jerome D. Ong, listening to the market is what has led them to sell more, like the jumbo hotdog with cheese.
“We noticed that many consumers eat their hot dogs with cheese, so we said, why not save them the trouble of looking for cheese to put on their hot dogs?” he said in an interview in October 2025.
The first cheese dog, which came in a brightly colored casing, was offered from 1993 to 1994. The red variant started between 2007 and 2010.
“When it comes to cheese hotdogs, I am happy to say that we have been the market leader for a long time,” he added.
CDO was founded 50 years ago by matriarch Ong and Mr. Ong, Corazon D. Ong.
His goal was not to build a company but rather to help increase the family’s income. The business started small, working from home, after Ms Ong took a short course in longganisa making. (Filipino sausage) and tocino (cured pork dish). Her husband Jose joined her in the business a few years later.
Mr. Ong now runs the company alongside her siblings Charmaine, who handles corporate procurement and treasury, and Jason, who heads both the company’s social responsibility and start-up business division.
CHALLENGES AND LESSONS
The company has learned lessons from challenges over the years, said Mr. Ong.
The first is the “big head” of credit risk.
“When we were young, bad debts put pressure on cash flow and finances,” he said. BusinessWorld. “We have learned to put in place regulatory measures to put debt limits, [and] doing everything we can before giving credit.”
Another is supply chain issues, such as operational disruptions that increased shipping times by 20 days and led the company to diversify its source of raw materials such as meat.
The third is the battle for talent, which has made the company improve its recruitment and retention system.
Their employees care about the company because management shows that it cares about their welfare, said Mr.
During the pandemic, he said, the CDO was working full time, so everyone who wanted to work could. Food, vitamins, and transportation were also provided.
“If we want our people to have malasakit [the Filipino value of showing concern and empathy]we have to walk the talk and show that we have malasakit for them,” he added.
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
The biggest ongoing challenge, however, is market competition.
“We continue to stay relevant by developing products – or improving existing products – to meet the changing preferences of consumers,” said Mr. Ong.
One insight gained from the company’s market research, for example, led to the creation of its corned beef Karne Norte.
“Research has told us that it is not just the taste of the product that attracts customers,” he said BusinessWorld. “The smell is also important, because when the consumer opens the can, the first thing he notices is the smell, so we made sure that Karne Norte has that good smell.”
Another insight came from declining sales of its now-off-the-shelf hamonado (aromatic pork sausage)which used to be a bestseller in the 1990s.
There it gradually lost its importance as new types of longganisa appeared on the market, the company tried to revive the sale of hamonado by offering promos and samples, but to no avail.
“We can continue to develop a certain type, but we will not like it,” said Mr. Ong. When the market says, ‘time’s up,’ we have to pull the plug and move on.”
CDO’s goal is to have its brands sponsored by nine out of 10 Filipino households in five years, up from the current six out of ten.
Mr. Ong says this goal, and the challenge of taking on the future, is made possible by the guidance of the core family values that have brought them to where they are.
“The most successful companies continue to grow and grow and enter new growth paths even after the founders have retired,” he said.
“What is important to us is to prepare the next generation of family members, the next generation of leaders, so that we can future-proof the company in 50 years and more.” – Patricia B. Mirasol
