New Zealand’s dairy giant Fonterra’s focus at this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE) is sustainable development and cheese nutrition, as the China market is showing strong signs of recovery post-pandemic, with dairy consumption growing significantly over the years.
Fonterra is always looking at innovative ways of using dairy products in local cuisine, such as cream cheese tea macchiatos, cheese lollipops and even cheese dumplings, Teh-han Chow, Fonterra’s Greater China CEO, has told Xinhua.
“Other examples include our ‘Cheese Pro’ products which are a mix of cream and cheese that help customers to save time when making tea macchiatos,” Chow added.
At CIIE 2023 to be held on Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai, Fonterra is promoting sustainably produced, high-quality and nutritious dairy products from New Zealand with locally driven innovative solutions to meet the needs of Chinese customers, he said.
Fonterra has participated in CIIE for six consecutive years as China is one of Fonterra’s most important strategic markets. Over the years, Fonterra has increased both its booth area and the number of contracts it has signed at CIIE, he said.
“We are seeing an increase in demand for health and wellness related products in China,” he said, adding that key products to be introduced at CIIE 2023 reflect Fonterra’s nutrition advantage that meets the increasing demand in China for health and wellness products,” he said.
Looking to the future, Fonterra plans to expand its foodservice business to more tier two and tier three cities in China, enhancing its products through investment in innovation, and strengthening its offerings in Chinese cuisine and continuous menu development, he said.
Owned by New Zealand farmers, Fonterra has benefitted greatly from healthy bilateral relationship between China and New Zealand, Chow said, adding that there is strong alignment between Fonterra’s priorities and those of the Chinese government, such as nutritional targets for dairy consumption and China’s emission reduction targets.
Earlier this year, Fonterra opened its fifth Fonterra Application Center in Shenzhen, and recently upgraded its application centers in Shanghai and Beijing.
