Around 20 Kiwi food and beverage companies will gain first-hand insights of China during a 10-day customer tour hosted by ANZ Bank New Zealand.
The businesses, including meat, wine, seafood, honey and dairy producers from throughout the country will visit Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shanghai.
They will attend meetings with prospective buyers, customers and business partners, and attend business workshops organised by ANZ, NZ Trade and Enterprise, KPMG, Redfern Associates, TNS and PwC.
A highlight of the trip will be visiting the Hong Kong Food Expo, where 11,000 food and beverage exhibitors from around the world will showcase their products to an estimated 400,000 visitors.
“Growing prosperity among Chinese consumers is presenting enormous opportunities for New Zealand food and beverage producers,” said Graham Turley, Managing Director Commercial & Agri for ANZ Bank NZ.
“Chinese consumers are paying a lot of attention to high-quality, authentic food products and niche brands. New Zealand’s food and beverage sector, which specialises in quality, specialty foods, is perfectly positioned to help meet this demand.”
ANZ has previously taken New Zealand businesses on similar trips to China, Vietnam and – most recently – India.
“For any food and beverage business looking to expand, gaining a deeper understanding of the growth markets of Asia – particularly China – is an important step,” Mr Turley said.
“The goal of this tour will be to introduce businesses to China, and connect them with ANZ’s networks who can help them expand their business into this enormous and sophisticated market.
“Success in China is all about building great relationships with business partners, a good understanding of the regulatory and business environment, and knowing what products China’s consumers want to buy.
“With a presence in 32 countries, including China, ANZ has the networks to help New Zealand businesses reach out to new markets and new opportunities.”
