Fil-Chinese-Australian John-Michael Hilton is the millennial juggernaut that brought Australian brands Koomi and T2 Tea to the Philippines, while launching homegrown concepts that are working to get Filipinos to eat and drink healthier.
If you still do not know what Koomi is, then you have probably been in deep isolation. The Australian yoghurt drink brand has infiltrated the Philippine beverage market at a time when many industry frontrunners are shuttering stores. Since the first Koomi stall opened pre-pandemic, over seventy more have sprouted since and is touted to reach 100 stores by June 2022.
Recently, Filipino-Chinese-Australian John-Michael Hilton— or Mike, if you’re savvy— cut the ribbon at the first Koomi store in Zamboanga which he admitted is “meaningful” for the proud Zamboangueño. Hilton is the founder, president, and CEO of Visum Ventures who has brought in the Australian brand along with T2 Tea and proceeded to launch homegrown concepts such as the fast-casual Oh My Greek!; the salads and juices of Zig; as well as the upscale versions of those brands called Meraki and Santé which just recently opened outside the massive IKEA in Mall of Asia.
With the yoghurt drink rapidly eclipsing milk tea as the beverage du jour and sprouting local copycats, many are curious about the young visionary behind the new dynamic restaurant group. A self-proclaimed “former shy kid,” Hilton moved to Australia when he was 6 months old and was raised by a single mother along with his two siblings. He recalls: “My mother would work to provide for us so she would have her mother and sisters from Zamboanga come to Sydney and they played a huge role in the upbringing of my siblings and me.” Ambitious and hard-working, he started his first job when he was 13 in order to gain more independence. “My first job was working in an Italian function and events venue,” he shares. “I washed plates, waited tables, cooked, and even cleaned, and it still gives me an appreciation of starting right from the bottom. I enjoyed the fast-paced environment and it pushed me to interact and hold conversations with people which in turn built my confidence.”
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What was meant to be merely a stepping stone to a white-collar career proved to be Hilton’s true passion as he keeps getting drawn back into the food and beverage industry. After returning to the Philippines in 2016 to manage his father’s businesses, a visit to Sydney introduced him to the growing phenomenon that is Koomi. His expansion plan for the brand in the Philippines is aggressive, to say the least, accompanied by the rest of Visum’s portfolio that reflects Hilton’s clear vision of healthy eating that is neither bland nor boring.
What prompted Hilton to go in this direction? More so—what made him believe that the Philippine market, with its eternal love affair with lechon and sisig, is ready for it? “ I saw the way that Australia was flooded with gyms like Fitness First and Anytime Fitness and I noticed how when more of the population included a healthy lifestyle into their daily routines, the next thing to impact was what they put into their bodies,” points out Hilton. “I saw the Philippines go through a similar path three to four years ago with Anytime Fitness starting a huge expansion in the country and so I wanted to stay ahead of the trend and try to fill the next void. I believe Koomi, Zig and T2 do that.” He adds: “Also, of course, because of the pandemic we are now forced to eat healthier so I try to ensure our brands can offer healthier alternatives that are affordable so more Filipinos can look after their bodies.”
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