Irish Dairy Board Looks to China
IRELAND - According to reports, the Irish Dairy Board is looking to China as a greater destination of its exports in the near future.
17 April 2008
1 minute read
* "It's a big business here with a huge number of new hotels and Western restaurants opening" |
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Karl Long, business development manager in China.
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Food Production Daily have said that the dairy co-operative already supplies its Kerrygold brand butter, cheddar and mozzarella cheese to around 200 stores around China and doubled its sales in the market during 2007, said Karl Long, business development manager in China.
"We're now talking with our new distributor to focus on foodservice. It's a big business here with a huge number of new hotels and Western restaurants opening," he told Dairyreporter.com.
Currently China's foodservice market is dominated by Australian and New Zealand suppliers. Dairy giant Fonterra opened a foodservice innovation centre in Shanghai in 2006, seeking to tap into China's fast-growing bakery market. Chinese bakeries offer a wider range of cream-based cakes and desserts than their European counterparts.
Fonterra has a major advantage in the Chinese market with a presence over more than 20 years. It is also set to benefit from a new trade deal signed recently between China and New Zealand.
TheCattleSite News Desk
