(1) “We export seafood, mainly abalone, lobster and top shell, into Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. This is our third participation here – Hong Kong is a good place to do business, especially for the Chinese mainland market. At last year’s Food Expo we took orders worth US$5 million – we made about 10 good contacts, including one particularly good mainland contact. This year we have seen buyers from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia and the mainland. We have taken orders, but as our season has not yet started in Mexico we can’t calculate yet how much they will be worth. I like the organisation of the fair – I get replies to queries quickly, and everyone is very friendly and professional.”
Celina Dominguez Garcia, Marketing Director, SCPP Pescadores Nacionales de Abulon, S.C. de R.L., Mexico

(2) “Asamurasaki was founded 100 years ago. Today, we create ‘fusion’ Japanese dressings and soy sauce for 21st century cuisines. Japanese food is now international and people adapt it to their own cooking styles, so we have responded by creating versatile products. This is our first participation at the event, as we are keen to expand our customer base in Hong Kong and neighbouring countries – but in fact we have met people from around the world here, including buyers from Israel, New Zealand and Canada, as well as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and of course the Chinese mainland. I am particularly happy with the HKTDC’s business matching service, The keyword function works very well, and we had four meetings set up in advance because people searched for terms such as ‘wasabi’ and were directed to my company.”
James Sato, International Sales Division Manager, Asamurasaki Co., Ltd., Japan

(3) “CJ is the largest food manufacturer in Korea. This is our first time to participate here. We launched our frozen dumplings in Hong Kong in 2009, so we are displaying these here, but we also want to use this show to test the market for a new range of products, such as microwave rice, five-grain rice and black rice. We also want to get good exposure for our name in general and generate more brand awareness. We’ve had a very positive reaction already and we’re very excited about our prospects for the rest of the expo.”
Terry Mak, Sales & Marketing Assistant Manager, CJ China Limited, Hong Kong

(4) “We produce food and health supplements under our Brand’s name. We want to introduce our products to more local people and as this show is very big we decided to exhibit here for the first time this year. On the first morning we had more than 100 people queuing up for our HK$1 promotion of berry essence with grape seed extract. We are also using this as an opportunity to promote our Facebook page – when visitors try our products and they like them, we ask them to click ‘like’ on our fan page. This show is fantastic – it attracts so many people.”
Timothy Chow, General Manager, Brand’s, Cerebos (Hong Kong) Limited, Hong Kong

(5) “Our company has been specialising in dried marine products for 60 years. We’ve been exhibiting at this show for 12 years – it has become a habit for us! We like the expo because every year we can get exposure to different people. And in the last few years we’ve been seeing more and more visitors from the Chinese mainland here, which is good for us. In addition, we like the organisation of the show - HKTDC is a famous name and has a very good reputation.”
Macy Liu, Owner, Hang Hing Company, Hong Kong

(6) “We are a Japanese rice company that is part of a larger organisation specialising in agricultural machinery, so we have very good relationships with farmers. We want to promote our rice to high-level restaurants in Hong Kong, which is why we have come here for the first time. We don’t have an office in Hong Kong, but we can use the expo to obtain feedback on the market and explain our concept – we will mill the rice in Hong Kong upon receipt of an order. We are particularly promoting our Uonuma-produced Koshihikari high-quality rice. We already set up meetings with several restaurants in advance of the show. We’ve also met other potential buyers from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. We’re impressed with the size of the show and the traffic – we don’t have an event like this is Japan.”
Yuji Inagaki, Assistant Manager, Niigata Noosho Co., Ltd, Japan

(7) “We’re a young Mexican company and we produce mainly extra-virgin avocado oil, including lime-infused and chilli-infused versions. This is our first participation at the show, and it gives us the chance to explain more about avocado oil – for example, it has a higher smoke point than olive oil and is also higher in monounsaturated fats and Vitamin E. It is ideal for using as a dressing or high-temperature cooking. We already sell to the US and Europe, but so far do not have any business in this part of the world. Hong Kong is a good entry point for the Asian market, particularly mainland China. The growing market here is very important and this trade show will help us get a foothold. We’ve met people from Hong Kong and the mainland already – and they have tried the product, which is the first step! We find this show to be very well organised.”
Fernando Leal, General Manager, Aceites SerraVita de Occidente, Mexico

(8) “SOPEXA is the marketing agency for French food, wine and lifestyle products, but with agreement from the French Ministry of Agriculture we are now expanding our activities to include products from other parts of Europe, too. We have recruited 12 companies to take part in the European Delicacies section of the Gourmet Zone. We see good potential here for them, and they include not just food and beverage companies but also suppliers of glassware, tableware and cookware. People in Hong Kong are now looking for something different and for good quality, and here they can learn more about European products. Through this lifestyle exhibition we are also staging cultural performances and a number of other activities. The response from the public has been overwhelming!”
Anita Ma, General Manager, SOPEXA, Hong Kong

(9) “We focus on making health products using sea cucumbers and Korean red ginseng – we are the only brand to use these two ingredients together. We’ve been joining this show for five years now, as here we can promote our products to international buyers. We are just about to sign an agreement with a Chinese mainland agent to distribute our products in the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, so we’re very interested in meeting buyers from these markets. We’ve had interest from these areas as well as from India, Japan and even other Korean companies. This is a good event, and the facilities are excellent.”
Kang Yang Gyu, CEO, Heawon, Korea

(10) “Coffee DeAmour is an on-line magazine and community for coffee lovers in Hong Kong. We have been working with HKTDC to set up Aroma Street at the Gourmet Zone. The street features eight coffee-related companies – they are all small enterprises that do not have the resources to participate on their own. Through this initiative they can promote their businesses, which include not just coffee suppliers but also of coffee-related equipment and accoutrements. Our goal here is also to promote better coffee in Hong Kong through education. Activities include tasting and promotions, and information on different types of coffee, roasting methods and so on. The zone has been very busy!”
Virginai Tam, Director, Coffee DeAmour, Hong Kong

(1) “My company specialises in importing seafood products into the Taiwan market. Among our products are canned locos, canned abalone, dry abalone, scallops and sea cucumber, from markets including Japan, Australia, Chile and Mexico. We have been visiting this show for many years – here there are many companies all under one roof. We meet with our existing suppliers and we can look for new ones. Some of the meetings we arrange in advance – for example, I have just been spending time with Mexican abalone suppliers. I will place orders while I am here. This is a very good fair – everything is very convenient and efficient.”
John Lin, Director, De Ann Trade Co., Ltd., Taiwan

(2) “Midas Foods supplies a number of major food companies in India, including Domino’s Pizza and KFC. The company has sent representatives to this show for a few years now. I am here to look for a variety of items including new ingredients, such as herbs ands spices, and bakery products from Asian suppliers. I have found some products that are suitable, including canned mushrooms for use on pizzas – I will take samples back and talk with our clients. I have also identified noodles products from about two or three different suppliers. HKTDC has given me a lot of help in choosing suitable companies – I was provided with a list of suppliers for the products I am interested in, including the booth numbers, so they were easy to find. Also, the facilities at the fair are very nice, including the VIP Dragon Lounge.”
Amish Dedhia, Purchase Manager, Midas Foods (India) Pvt. Ltd., India

(3) “I am concerned with the wholesale side of our business and I’m visiting the fair to direct source from manufacturers. We have a large Chinese population in New Zealand and they want to be able to buy products familiar to them – and this fair in Hong Kong is the best place for us to meet the suppliers. I’m particularly interested in noodles, rice, and sauces. I’ve already met with some big names such as Chewy, Nissin and Tung Chun – I will take samples back to New Zealand, get costs and discuss logistics and will place orders later. I have found the business matching service to be very useful – HKTDC found companies suitable for my business and introduced my company to these suppliers. I was also able to use the services of a translator to talk with Japanese suppliers.”
James Cunnold, Group Merchandise Manager – Gilmours, Foodstuffs Auckland Limited, New Zealand

(4) “We operate 2,000 stores on the Chinese mainland. We set up an international sourcing division earlier this year to find overseas suppliers, so we’ve come to this fair for the first time because Hong Kong is a business centre for all of Asia. I am particularly looking for nuts, dried fruits, candy and seafood. I’ve already located a number of interesting suppliers, including Mexican pecan nuts, Iranian pistachios, a dried apple product from Japan, and Hokkaido seafood. We will test samples for quality and taste and carry out negotiations with the suppliers. I am sure that I will do business as a result of being here at the fair. The service from staff here is very satisfactory – and I’m sure I will come back.”
Wang Chuan, Global Sourcing Manager, Shanghai Lyfen Co., Ltd., Chinese Mainland

(5) “Shop & Go is a convenience store chain with 50 outlets in Ho Chi Minh City, making us number one in Vietnam. This is my first visit to Food Expo – I’m looking to source new products, especially frozen foods, biscuits, noodles and soft drinks. I’ve already identified three suitable exhibitors including a biscuit company from Malaysia and noodle maker from the Chinese mainland. These companies don’t have distributors in Vietnam, but if their products prove suitable, we will work with them and our importers to organise it. The HKTDC office in Vietnam invited our company to this fair, and the staff there and in Hong Kong been very helpful in organising my schedule and ensuring I know what to do and where to go, as this is my first visit to Hong Kong.”
Nguyen Vu Minh Hung, Assistant Manager, Shop & Go, Vietnam

(6) “I work in the catering industry, and supply products to school canteens. I’ve come to Food Expo to look for new products such as single-serving fruit juice packs, and cooking oil supplied in large drums. I have already found some suitable cooking oil products. This fair looks good. Hong Kong always does a good job on events like this – it’s a very business-like city.”
Herve Bouvresse, Director, Café Concepts Catering Services Ltd., Hong Kong

(7) “I am an importer/exporter concerned mainly with organic beverages. I have visited the fair before, and found it useful. This time, I have seen a few new products that I like, including juices and teas – in fact, I am about to place an order for US$15,000 with one company.”
Djamel Megueni, Managing Director, Eu-ming Trading Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

(8) “I operate as a middle-man between suppliers and Canadian-based distributors, and one of my areas of activity is food. Looking around the fair I’ve found some new items, including red apple juice, wasabi powder with salt, steamed rice with natural spices, and orange liqueur – in fact, I have already sent an email with the details of this last product to a contact in Toronto. There is a large Asian community in Canada so there is plenty here that is of interest, especially items from Japanese and Philippine suppliers. This event is most interesting and I’ve found it very useful. I also attended a couple of the seminars – they were very informative.”
David Cohen, President, David L. Cohen Enterprises Ltd., Canada

(9) “My company is a meat supplier and I’ve come here to open new business possibilities as we want to expand into vegetables and seafood. We’ve met with suppliers of potatoes from the Chinese mainland, and talked to some Chinese seafood companies, too. We had wanted to attend an exhibition in East Asia, and our research on the internet showed that Food Expo was one of the most popular. The organisation is good – many of the exhibitors speak English and it has been easy to find the products that we are interested in. It’s very comfortable for overseas visitors here.”
Oleg Chuntonov, Import Manager, Kromexpo, Russia

(10) “Secret Recipe is the largest bakery cafe chain in Malaysia. We operate about 270 stores in Malaysia and abroad including Chinese mainland. We are also planning to expand our presence into Hong Kong soon. This is the first time I’ve visited the Food Expo in Hong Kong to look for different types of foods. I’ve established contacts with a Japanese exhibitor and we will explore opportunities to develop some soup-based foods for our cafe stores. The scale of this exhibition is big and the whole event has been well organised.”
Dato’ Steven Sim, Group CEO and Managing Director, Secret Recipe, Malaysia

(11) “I am visiting the Food Expo to look for a number of opportunities in the food and beverage line. I am seeking importers interested in bringing German wines, sweets and chocolates to this part of the world, and I am also looking for Asian specialty food products to import into Germany. I’ve found this event very useful for making contacts – for example, I have spoken with a Hong Kong wine importer who is interested in German dessert wines. It’s a good starting place for finding suitable partners. This event has been very useful for me. The facilities at the fair are good – Hong Kong is a city where you can rely on good organisation.”
Jurgen Roehmig, Managing Director, Roehmig Partners Ltd., Hong Kong