Do we like Del Monte Pacific?
Packaged fruit, juice and food maker; owns the Del Monte brand in the Philippines and Asia. Listed in Singapore and Manila.
Our score: 4 out of 10. Not yet. The Philippine business looks healthy, but the group is heavily indebted, its US arm collapsed, and it is in talks with creditors. Too much risk to back.
Del Monte Pacific is the Singapore- and Manila-listed company behind the Del Monte brand in the Philippines and Asia. It bought the US Del Monte Foods in 2014. Its annual report says the Campos family of the Philippines beneficially owns about 71% through NutriAsia Pacific and Bluebell. Joselito Campos Jr. is CEO.
The US arm was the problem. In 2025, a group of US lenders sued over alleged loan defaults, and that was settled with extra debt. The parent then declined to put up $45 million more, and the lenders took board control. Del Monte Foods filed for Chapter 11 on 1 July 2025.
The US business was then carved up. A court-approved wind-down plan took effect in June 2026, according to a legal-news blog. The parent says the Philippine business is still profitable, helped by better pineapple plantation productivity, and that the bankruptcy shouldn't disrupt its operations.
Now the group is trying to fix its balance sheet. It says it will negotiate with lenders from August to November 2026 and finish refinancing by 2027. In September it reported first-quarter profit of $16.1m and said it is exploring asset sales. Our score is 4: the core business looks fine, but the debt risk is real.