#OMGpeke is a reaction to the #OMGMagnolia use of Ramar Foods, a Northern California company that “legally” pirated the Magnolia trademark from the Philippine originator San Miguel.
Ramar Foods started using the Magnolia brand for its ice cream in the 1970s without any licensing agreement with San Miguel, which had been developing the brand in the Philippines since the 1920s… Presumably, the Northern California company was duping Filipino Americans into thinking that they were affiliated with Magnolia in the Philippines.
Then in the 1990s, while San Miguel was distracted by its restructuring problems, Ramar managed to register the Magnolia trademark in the United States for ice cream. So now “legally” Ramar owns the Magnolia brand identity (with the logo it did not create) in the United States, while San Miguel is shut out from using it.
Not content with that, Ramar started legal proceedings against San Miguel for use of Magnolia for any products, not just ice cream. In particular, they wanted San Miguel to stop selling its butter, margarine and cheese under the Magnolia brand. Though initially the OMGpeke company was able to score an injunction, a jury sided with San Miguel, and finally the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the injunction.
San Miguel is still prevented from selling its ice cream under the Magnolia brand in the United States… Any “Magnolia” ice cream you see in the United States is not the Philippine brand. San Miguel is now selling their frozen treats in the USA only as Gold Label.
There are many Filipino American retailers partnered with Ramar who keep this trademark piracy issue from being known to Filipino American consumers because the businesspeople know that Philippine-born Filipinos in the United States will refuse to buy Ramar-manufactured Magnolia ice cream.
The boycott of Ramar Foods products has been underway for some time now among Filipino Americans who have been properly informed of the facts of this issue.
We also encourage a boycott of stores that purposely deceive their customers about where their products come from. When Filipinos say they want to spend their money on Philippine-made products, they mean products made by a Philippine company, not products made by an unethical American company that has been using a Philippine-made logo that understandably tricks buyers into thinking they’re products that Filipinos grew up with in the Philippines.
In practical terms, if you see a “Magnolia” product in the United States or Canada, be sure to read the label. If it does not say “San Miguel” anywhere on it, it is not made by the Philippine company. It is very likely #OMGpeke.
