Mr. Benson Chow, Managing Director of Emtex Industrial, noted the company's initial connection with Europe has enabled him to launch his wine business.

"We've got referrals of good wineries from our European friends, afterwards, the popularity of the Internet has also brought in wineries which approached us, and we've also taken part in other marketing activities such as wedding fairs and the HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair; all these efforts have kept our supplier list growing," highlighted Mr. Chow.

At present, Emtex Industrial is distributing its wine to local hotels, restaurants, private clubs, as well as other direct customers. Aiming to find more varieties of Australian wine for his clientele, Mr. Chow was introduced by the HKTDC Business Matching Service to a trade mission of wineries from New South Wales that visited Hong Kong in May 2010.

"We really like this meeting format because it is essential for us to taste different wine types and make comparison. This meeting arrangement offers us a more focused environment to do so and allows in-depth discussions without distraction," explained Mr. Chow.

Mr. Chow also added delightedly that with this kind of trade mission, he was able to find what he has been looking for – wineries which are not too commercial.

"Some smaller wineries may not have the resources to join overseas exhibitions though they have nice wine, so the trade mission offers us valuable opportunity to reach them. Through our face-to-face conversation, I can feel that many of the companies I met are operating their wineries with ‘heart'," said Mr. Chow.

"I trust the HKTDC has done a lot of professional screening and we've been able to spot some good choices with the price point we are expecting. Indeed, with the HKTDC acting as the middle man, both parties are boosted in confidence and that catalyse our negotiation progress," concluded Mr. Chow.