After years of delays caused by the pandemic, extreme weather, and operational setbacks, Filipino chocolate brand Serg’s has set 2026 as its new target for returning to the market, opting for a cautious, small-scale relaunch more than two decades after it ceased operations.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the company said it would restart production this year, beginning with its signature chocolate bars and operating from its original Cordillera Street site in Quezon City. The announcement marks the clearest timeline yet for a revival that was first signaled publicly before the COVID-19 pandemic. “But 2026 will be our restart year,” the company said.
Serg’s said its return plans were disrupted by multiple external shocks. The pandemic halted early preparations, while the 2024 Typhoon Carina floods damaged a warehouse housing its machinery, delaying what it described as a planned “small-batch setup”. The company added that other uncertainties had forced it to reassess both timing and scale.
“To All Batang Serg’s, we meant it when we said ‘Serg’s is coming back’ in a Nov 2019 Inquirer article. COVID-19 changed everything. The 2024 Carina floods hit our warehouse that houses our machinery, delaying our small-batch setup. Add a few uncertainties that forced us to rethink the plan—but 2026 will be our restart year.”
Rather than an immediate full-scale return, Serg’s said it would adopt a phased approach, starting with limited production at its original address—the site where the brand was founded in 1954. The company said it would release public updates on planning and progress in the first quarter of 2026, framing transparency as central to completing the relaunch.
“We’re starting small—Serg’s Chocolate Bars—back where it all began in 1954 on Cordillera St., Quezon City. We’ll share our plan and progress (Q1) publicly for transparency and accountability until we get this done,” the company remarked.
If preparations proceed as expected, the company said it is targeting a commercial return by the third quarter of 2026. “If everything goes well, we are hoping Serg’s in 2026 (Q3).”
Founded by Antonio Goquilay and named after his son Sergio, Serg’s was once among the most recognizable local chocolate brands in the Philippines, reaching peak popularity in the 1980s and 1990s through mass advertising and its widely remembered tagline, “Serg’s ikaw pa rin”.
Operations ceased in 2001, the same year Sergio Goquilay suffered a fatal heart attack, leaving the family-run business without its long-time leader.
The idea of reviving the brand resurfaced publicly in 2019 and again in 2020, when Sergio’s son-in-law, Randy Ong, told GMA News that the family intended to bring Serg’s back once travel and operations became feasible.
“Serg’s will come back. I don’t know what time, maybe after the pandemic when the time we’ll be able to travel there. I will always bring back, Serg’s will bring back their memories through the Serg’s chocolate products. And I will make sure of that one,” he said. Ong added at the time that the original property had already been refurbished to support limited manufacturing.
“In terms of the progress, I’m happy with it. I have the building, the infrastructure where it’s started 1955, where the ancestral home is. I renovated it to be able to accommodate a small manufacturing para lang magkaroon tayo ng Serg’s chocolate,” he said.
The latest announcement suggests a more measured business strategy, one shaped by recent disruptions and rising operational risks, from supply-chain volatility to climate-related damage. Rather than relying solely on brand recall, Serg’s appears to be positioning its comeback as a controlled restart—testing demand, limiting exposure, and leaning on direct public engagement as it rebuilds.
“We may also ask for your help along the way—so we can bring Serg’s back together and keep Serg’s Chocolates as a Filipino family legacy that will stay for generations to come,” the company said, urging followers to share its social media pages and stories about the brand with younger consumers.
For a legacy product seeking to re-enter a market now dominated by multinational confectionery firms and marked by higher input costs, Serg’s is planning a scaled-down return aimed at converting long-standing brand recognition into renewed commercial activity in a significantly changed operating environment.
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