New ways to export food! "Sea Breeze" turns into a business negotiation train, 33 food companies seize overseas business opportunities

Japanese buyers and Taiwanese businessmen communicated on the Sea Breeze. (Photo by reporter Lin Jinghua)

The sightseeing train transforms into an international negotiation space! For the first time, the Trade Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Foreign Trade Association invited international catering and tourism industry index buyers to board the Taiwan Railway Sightseeing Train, turning the "Sea Breeze" into a mobile business negotiation venue, allowing Taiwanese food industry operators to communicate directly with international buyers in a travel context. Among them, food contract manufacturer Handian Food has also used this opportunity to reach out to new markets such as Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and Thailand, hoping to expand its export territory through international matchmaking. Industry players also shared that "prefabricated cooking kits" have become the new darling of the catering market after the epidemic and the phenomenon of declining birthrate.

The Trade Association pointed out that the "Taiwan Taste Experience Exchange Conference for Travel, Catering, and Tourism" lasted for two days and one night. Eight international manufacturers from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, UAE and other countries were invited to board the Taiwan Railway Sea Breeze to communicate with 33 companies including Taiwan Red Sakura Food, Hindelford Industrial, Handian Food, and Haohan Food. The train departed from Nangang and passed through Hsinchu and Taichung. A total of two stages of business matching were arranged. After the buyer got off the train, he went further to visit four factories in Taichung.

The trade association revealed that the inspiration for this event came from American cruise operators who came to Taiwan in search of food supplies and discovered that Taiwan’s souvenirs, frozen food and ship-supplied food had development potential. Therefore, they focused on travel catering products and innovatively planned sightseeing trains as a business negotiation space. This allows buyers to directly experience Taiwanese food and actual travel conditions while the train is in motion, and both parties can also exchange cooperation opportunities in a relatively relaxed atmosphere.

Middle Eastern buyers enthusiastically took selfies with the Sea Breeze. (Photo by reporter Lin Jinghua)

Handian Food, one of the few Taiwanese companies that has set up factories in the UK, said that the Japanese, Arab and Thai buyers it contacted this time are all new markets, and it hopes to increase contact opportunities with international customers through the event. Some buyers are from the aviation kitchen industry and are interested in high-protein dishes such as room-temperature beef noodles and plant-based meat. However, the industry also uses this opportunity to learn more about overseas market demand, including the conditions for halal certification that may be involved in food exports.

After the epidemic, prepared meals have gradually become a new trend in the international catering market. Lin Jiahe, the business manager of Haohan Food, a professional mochi factory, pointed out that high labor costs in Europe and the United States, coupled with the declining birth rate, make it more difficult for the catering industry to recruit employees. Therefore, restaurant owners hope to simplify the cooking process. It is best to quickly complete the meal service through the three steps of heating, plating, and serving.

Lin Jiahe also said that Taiwan's population continues to grow at a negative rate and the domestic demand market is limited. Even if people love to eat, there is still a ceiling in the consumer market, and industry players must seek overseas market expansion opportunities. At present, the proportion of Haohan Food's export sales has reached 40%, and the main markets are still Europe and the United States.

Chung Jiming, chairman of the Taiwan Frozen Food Association, said that when cruise ships and airlines come to Taiwan to dock or transfer, there is already a demand for local purchases, including fresh vegetables, meat, seafood and other ingredients. However, with the declining birthrate and increasing demand for catering convenience, "prefabricated semi-finished products" that can reduce labor burden and shorten meal preparation time have gradually become a market trend. Judging from the fact that Taiwanese people purchase frozen food 5 or 6 times a week on average, frozen food and prepared meals still have considerable market development potential.