Panu “Big” Mahattanobol

Chief Operating Officer, Preserved Food Specialty Co., Ltd. (PFS)

Industry : Business

For Panu “Big” Mahattanobol, food preservation is about more than shelf life. It is about keeping the value of Thailand’s agricultural produce from being lost. As Chief Operating Officer of Preserved Food Specialty (PFS), he is helping steer a family business with more than 30 years of food-processing experience towards food technology, nutrition and sustainability while keeping food safety and quality at its core.

Big grew up alongside PFS, which built its business on freeze drying and dehydration for manufacturers and consumers in Thailand and overseas. Today, the company has expanded into spray drying, air drying, extraction and IQF processing, giving it more ways to turn agricultural produce into ingredients and finished products. Its certifications include US FDA, USDA Organic, Kosher, Halal, FSSC 22000, ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP.

For Big, technology has value when it solves real problems. Food security is one of them. By drying, freezing and extracting seasonal produce, PFS can extend shelf life, reduce losses and make agricultural products easier to store and transport. The company is also exploring opportunities in nutraceuticals, using low-temperature processing and extraction to retain nutrients and turn Thai agricultural products into higher-value ingredients and functional products.

Sustainability is another part of the picture. With continued investment in R&D, technology and long-term partnerships, Big sees it as an opportunity to create more value from what Thailand already produces, reducing waste while making better use of agricultural resources.