From superfoods to plant-based alternatives, the global appetite for healthier choices is reshaping the food industry.
Against this backdrop, two health food companies have returned to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) Food Expo PRO year after year, to sharpen their competitive edge and translate interest into sustained growth.
Thai SME Oweva has exhibited at Food Expo PRO four times as part of the Thailand pavilion. Founded in 2010, the company produces powdered beverages for business customers, in addition to marketing its own MUZ-brand instant milk tea sachets and ginger-based drink mixes.
Health and nutrition are central to Oweva’s brand identity, according to Managing Director Apassanun Apitanabunyaseth. She noted the company specifically set out to target health-conscious consumers through using natural sweeteners such as coconut flower sugar and honey, while eschewing artificial additives like creamer in favour of real milk powder.
When it came to expanding abroad, the firm met numerous challenges, Ms Apitanabunyaseth recalled. These included understanding market preferences, building the right connections and dealing with competition. However, by working closely with partners, such as the HKTDC and Thailand’s National Innovation Agency, the company has been able to grow and adapt.
“Partners supported us by providing business matching opportunities, market exposure, industry insights and valuable connections with buyers and distributors,” she explained. “This helped accelerate our growth in Hong Kong tremendously.”
The manufacturer now exports to eight markets and is keen to break into the Chinese Mainland, the world’s second largest beverage market with over US$170 billion in annual sales, according to US Department of Agriculture data.
With ambitious plans to increase exports, exhibiting at Food Expo PRO has become a vital channel to connect with buyers and secure distribution partners.
“Success in Hong Kong is especially significant because the city serves as a gateway to a wide range of international markets. It has also enabled us to connect with an exclusive Chinese distributor, marking an important milestone in our business growth and regional expansion,” she concluded.
Japanese producer targets export opportunities
Japanese dried food company Towa Kanbutu first exhibited at Food Expo PRO in 2014 and has since returned a number of times, riding a wave of demand for healthier food choices.
Founded in 1977 in Shizuoka at the foot of Mt Fuji, the company specialises in high-quality mushrooms, green tea powder, dried seafood and premium uncooked grains such as black rice. Sourcing raw ingredients from farms across Japan, the firm uses dehydration and milling processes that preserve natural vitamins and minerals while concentrating and enhancing flavours.
This makes their products highly attractive to consumers seeking to reduce their salt and sugar intake, while avoiding artificial colours and preservatives, according to Sales Manager Yudai Hashimoto.
The company’s best-selling products are its dried shiitake mushrooms, sourced through auctions across Japan. The rare and premium shiitake varieties, such as Tenpaku Donko, are very popular in Towa Kanbutu’s main export markets – Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore – and are often presented as gifts at special occasions such as Chinese New Year.
“Hong Kong is a highly attractive market to us because dried food products are widely integrated into both everyday dining and the local gift-giving culture, even more so than in Japan,” Mr Hashimoto explained.
In recent years, the company has experimented with novel techniques for cultivating shiitake mushrooms. Traditionally, the fungi sprout on hardwood logs, a process that can take up to a year, while another technique using sterilised sawdust takes just a few months.
Drawing on the best of both methods, Towa Kanbutu has developed a new process that produces high-quality shiitake mushrooms able to be harvested in shorter time. The company will launch the product at this year’s Expo, citing the fair’s wide influence and regional reach.
“Consumers in Hong Kong have a strong understanding of dried shiitake mushrooms and other dried goods, making it easier for us to communicate product characteristics, quality, and regional differences. In addition, there is a high level of trust in Japanese quality, creating opportunities for us to promote high value-added products,” he said.
Besides trading opportunities at the fair, Mr Hashimoto is also enthusiastic about the hktdc.com Sourcing platform which complements the physical fair and has generated leads from markets as diverse as France, Mexico and the Philippines. Such support keeps the company coming back year in and year out to forge connections and build partnerships
Open to trade buyers, Food Expo PRO will run from 13 to 15 August, alongside the International Tea Fair. In addition, the Food Expo, Home Delights Expo and Beauty & Wellness Expo will be open to the public and run from 13 to 17 August.