415. Is That Who I Think She Is? MARICEL SORIANO for NEWTON COCO-EGG SPREAD, 1974

NEWTON COCO-SPREAD, 1974

 Newton Food Products Mfg. Co., Inc. is synonymous with bottled tropical fruits like kaong,  which were staple “halo-halo” ingredients, It was founded back in 1958, and since then has expanded its product lines to processed agricultural and fruit products, both fresh and processed, sauces, snack foods and noodles.

But back in 1974, the company forayed intro spreads with the launch of NEWTON COCO-EGG SPREAD. The spread is unlike any other spread; it was made from coconut milk, sugar, eggs, dairy milk, and butter, At first, NEWTON COCO-EGG SPREAD looks like mayonnaise as it can be used as a dressing for salads, but the rich cream can also be used as a topping for ice cream and for sandwiches.

When launched in 1974, the color ads featured a pert and pretty 9 year old kid model by the name of Maria Cecilia Dador Soriano. She would go on to become one of the biggest showbiz stars of 1990s, as MARICEL SORIANO, known by her moniker “The Diamond Star”.

As a  child actress, Maricel Soriano became nationally famous for her role as Shirley, the daughter of Dolphy and Nida Blanca, in the long-running TV hit series “John en Marsha”, which aired over Radio Philippines Network (RPN) from May 1973 to July 30, 1990. A spin-off from the series, “John en Shirley”, aired on ABS-CBN in 2006 with Dolphy and Maricel reprising their roles from the original series.

She would gain greater fame for her acting prowess and her trademark candidly frank way of expressing herself, leading to her being called “Taray Queen”. She is the second Filipino actress with the most best-actress wins this century across the five biggest film awards ceremony, with over 40 best-actress wins under her belt.

Soriano is also hailed as the “Drama Anthology Queen” for the success of her drama series — Maricel Regal Drama Special (1987-1990) and The Maricel Drama Special (1990-1997).

 As a topnotch commercial model, Soriano has endorsed blue-chip brands like Globe, McDonald’s, Jollibee, Modess, Green Cross Alcohol & Soap, Whisper, Alaska, Globe, Swift products, Loviscol, Mr. Clean, Breeze, Minola, Fiesta Spaghetti, Golden Fiesta Cooking Oil, Aji Ginisa, Vaseline shampoo, Argentina Corned Beef, Libby's, Ever Gotesco, Quick Chow Noodles, among others.

Previously married to Edu Manzano, Soriano has two sons, Marren and Sebastien. Maricel Soriano continues to be active in the entertainment industry, especially on TV, today.

As to Newton Food Products, it continues to be in operation to this day, with popular “chichirya” products as La-La Fish Crackers, Clubee Corn Snack Chips, and Nic-Nac Shrimp Crackers.

 SOURCES:

Maricel Soriano photo, Wikimedia commons

Maricel Soriano info: Wikimedia

Newton Food Products logo: Philippine Chamber of Food Manufacturers