In 1995, Alex Lichaytoo and his brother, Clifford, opened Bacchus International. Initially, they sold premium wines from Europe, before expanding to include a stunning array of luxury ingredients, the best cookware, and premium meats and cheese. Quality is key when it comes to Lichaytoo’s business philosophy.

Today the market depends on Lichaytoo for some of the finest wines in the country. He has undoubtedly become known as one of the top experts in the industry. “Our big break came when Shangri-La Makati Hotel asked us to open a temperature-controlled wine shop. This made us feel more serious about this potential business,” Lichaytoo reminisces.

The established purveyor, who’s been knighted with the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Order of the Star of Italy) and French Mérite Agricole, provides the local food industry with sought after liquor and the finest building blocks. “We’ve always wanted to inspire chefs to realise that quality of ingredients is the number one consideration if you wanted to create world-class cuisine, whether it’s in the cookware, wine glasses, tools or ingredients,” he says.