Beverages

Say “Chile” to most Hong Kongers and the first thing that springs to mind will be supermarkets – the range of wines and out-of-season fruits brought in from the Southern Hemisphere country that spans 39 degrees of latitude and nearly 7,000 metres of altitude.

A lawyer switched careers to become an entrepreneur, developing a non-alcoholic spirit tea that is very popular among young consumers and is often selected as a corporate gift. The operation became cash-flow positive in just one year.

Hydroponic cultivation calls to mind galleries with thousands of plants growing on shelves under but Hong Kong start-up Farmacy HK is rolling out Farming as a Service (Faas), supplying vending-machine sized Smart Mobile Farms to bring herb and vegetable cultivation right to consumers.

A coffee machine maker moving into its second-generation is looking at business opportunities in Mainland China, creating a brand specialising in coffee machines, grinders and coffee beans, and deploying them to enter the mainland market with the help of the T-box Transformation programme of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

Mainland China presents massive domestic sales opportunities. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) led Hong Kong companies to participate in the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai last year and helped Hong Kong companies find partners to introduce organic and healthy foods from countries along the Belt and Road to the mainland market.

As Hong Kong and Mainland China end travel curbs and internal controls continue to ease, the city is again open to business for the Year of the Rabbit.