Much of the Filipino business community is buzzing over Mega Sardines’ entry into the U.S. market, following a nationwide rollout across the entire Kroger network. The move marks a significant first for a Filipino consumer brand in the American grocery market.
Apparently, one of the key drivers behind the breakthrough was a company called The Turnaround Artists (TTA). A closer look at the team reveals some surprising details.
Co-founder and managing partner James Michael Lafferty made a name for himself as chairman and chief executive of Procter & Gamble Philippines from 2006 to 2010. After a stint with Coca-Cola in West Africa, Lafferty returned to the Philippines in 2012 as CEO of British American Tobacco (BAT), where he played a pivotal role in helping enact sin tax reform in the tobacco sector. Outside the corporate world, Lafferty has coached and supported national athletes and Olympians Marestella Torres and EJ Obiena, and has served as a professor at University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle University.
His partner and co-founder is Nedal Zatari, a Jordanian business leader with more than 30 years of commercial experience and a long track record of expanding brands into new markets.
After working together for nearly a decade at Fine Hygienic Holding in Dubai, Lafferty and Zatari set out on their own to pursue a shared vision: helping strong local and regional brands expand globally. That vision led to the creation of TTA.
As Lafferty explains, “We realized one of the greatest pleasures we experienced in our careers was in helping wonderful local / regional brands like Fine or Mega, to go global. We had the experience in successfully opening new markets, finding the right entry strategy. We know the finest distributors all over the world. Rather than a local company trying to hire experts and incur huge overheads, with no promise of success, at TTA we only earn if we are successful.”
Lafferty continues, “We are a team of 25 superstars spread all over the world, each with minimum 25 years of commercial experience in their markets. They speak the language and know every customer and distributor. What we offer is instant global capability to any great local brand, with zero investment or upfront costs. We only earn commissions if we successfully enter new markets. We can take a great brand like Mega, design and develop the right launch plan, and successfully enter new market after new market.”
TTA also has a public relation and marketing arm that helps clients such as Mega Sardines expand in a cost-effective way. The company appears to be the only one of its kind offering access to 180 countries through a single global commercial network.
Zatari says, “Most countries have local brokers who can perform similar services to what we provide at TTA. But we have seen nobody offer worldwide coverage like TTA, nor anyone that has full commercial expertise, beyond selling to include marketing, PR, and trademark services. We are one of a kind.”
The Mega-Kroger story is an interesting case—one that Lafferty, being originally American, handled personally. TTA’s proposal was to enter the U.S. market not through a distributor, but through a partnership with a major retailer. Kroger, the second-largest grocery chain in the U.S., has an underlying strategy focused on healthier food offerings, making it the ideal target. Lafferty leveraged senior contacts within Kroger, secured a meeting, and flew to the U.S. last November to pitch Mega Sardines.
“Selling Mega Sardines is actually a smooth sale. By virtue of having the certification from the Medical Wellness Association, a U.S. based organization, Mega had instant credibility,” says Lafferty.
While it took nine months of hard work to bring the deal to fruition, the effort has paid off.
As Zatari says, “To see Mega appearing in 2,750 stores right now, the emotions are difficult to adequately explain. And Mega is such a deserving brand. I have little doubt they will be the world’s No. 1 sardine brand by 2027.”
As one might expect, TTA is now attracting interest from companies hoping to replicate Mega’s success.
“We already have four major principals, and they keep us busy,” adds Lafferty. “And we have another 10 or so in evaluation. We tend to be quite selective in choosing new principals, we have to believe they have a competitive edge and basis to go global,” he adds.
Zatari says with a smile, “Yet we are always considering, always open to the next Mega Sardines.”
Stay updated—follow Philippines Today on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe on YouTube for more stories.