Asiafruit Market Insight, a new event organised by Asiafruit Magazine to explore opportunities at a regional level in China, takes place at Qingdao’s deluxe Intercontinental Hotel on 29-31 May with a focus on the market in northeast China.
Kicking off the conference with an overview of the dynamics shaping the food retail market in the region will be Xavier Naville of Vision Management Consultants and Yujun Qiu of Planet Retail.
Naville founded Creative Food in 2000 and built the company into a key supplier of fresh prepared food and produce to major Chinese restaurant chains before selling the business to UK-listed food company Bakkavor in 2011. He has since consulted for a range of agricultural projects and is currently writing a book on agricultural supply chains.
Qiu has spent over six years researching China’s retail trends, and being based in Qingdao, he offers unique insights into the regional market.
The second workshop session will look at how to merchandise to consumers in a tier-two city, exploring the process right from distribution systems to media selection. On hand to share their first-hand experiences from the local region will be Kelvin Bezuidenhout of kiwifruit marketer Zespri and John Wang, CEO of Chinese importer Lantao.
The Qingdao area is a major centre of China’s burgeoning berry production, and local and international experts will discuss how they can work together to grow the category in the country.
Legend Holdings recently acquired Wallen Agribusiness, China’s largest blueberry grower-marketer, based near Qingdao. The company’s Nick Zhang will discuss its journey so far and its future plans, while Robert Verloop, executive vice-president of marketing for leading grower-owned global berry marketer Naturipe Farms, will also share his expertise on the category.
Farm sourcing remains a major challenge in China but Asiafruit Market Insight will explore projects in the Shandong region that are helping to set new standards in quality, safety and traceability for consumers.
Hans Peter Reust, managing director of Star Farm Consulting, a China-based subsidiary of Metro Group, will discuss the company’s training and traceability systems with farmers. David Zhang of China Private Label International Alliance will explain how the new joint buying alliance for a group of regional retailers can broaden the customer base for international produce suppliers, while Jan Doldersum of international seed breeding company Rijk Zwaan will discuss a new fresh salad supply chain initiative involving producer Haofeng, marketer Chiquita and a leading international retailer in China.
For regular programme updates or to register for Asiafruit Market Insight, go to http://www.asiafruitmarketinsight.com
No comments yet