Issue 31
Now in its 12th edition, THAIFEX – The World of Food Asia 2015 – is one of the region’s most important and best-visited expos for food products, service and technology.
“We’ve seen a steady growth of trade visitors over the past few years and this year we’re expecting at least 32,000 trade visitors,” said Rena Bay, marketing communications manager of Koelnmesse. Her THAIFEX pre-show prediction was easily achieved with the total number of visitors, including public days, totalling a record-breaking 35,000.
Held at Bangkok’s IMPACT Arena from May 20 to 24, this year’s expo also saw a significant increase in the number of exhibitors – to 1,675, up from 1,400 last year – while the show floor was expanded from 60,000 to 70,000sqm, accommodating the food service sector in its own dedicated conference hall.
Organised by the DITP together with the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Koelnmesse, THAIFEX is a showcase of the best offerings from the Thai and global food industry. A testament to the fair’s increasingly international focus, Asia’s largest food products expo featured over 811 international exhibitors, making up 48% of the show. Besides Turkey who came on board this year as a new partner country, Germany and Mexico also had their own pavilions, presenting a diversified array of national products, from handcrafted Mexican tequilas to German-style sausages and Turkish frozen seafood.
A key driver in economic growth, last year the Thai food industry generated 800 billion baht (US$24 billion) in revenue for the country, with products such as rice, processed chicken, canned and processed seafood, frozen and processed shrimp, and food additives ranking among the world’s top five in export value. According to DITP Director-General Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, the Thai food industry is well positioned for the forthcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), thanks to the wide range of quality food products that are recognised by nations the world over.
“Thai businesses possess the ability and creativity to innovate and create, while the government is actively supporting them through the opening of new trade channels that continually expand Thailand’s network of international trade relations,” she said. “These factors will help drive the growth of our food industry on the continental and global stages effectively and fulfil the policy of making Thailand the kitchen of the world.”
For easy navigation, THAIFEX 2015 was divided into various zones. These included a general food and beverage zone and special zones for certain product and service categories, such as World of Seafood, World of Coffee & Tea, and World of Food Service, while ‘Thailand: Kitchen of the World’ showcased the country’s many rice-based products and world-famous cuisine.
On the menu were a host of other activities, exhibitions and seminars, such as those relating to food and food products featuring the THAI SELECT mark, the I+D Style Café, TTM (Thailand Trust Mark) and Prime Minister Business Enterprise Award (PM Award). Professional cooks from Asia had the opportunity to sharpen their knives in the Global Chef Challenges competition, hosted by THAIFEX for the first time. Organised by Worldchefs, the global association of chefs, the Asia selection was a resounding success. Singapore took the podium for both Global Chef Challenge and Hans Bueschkens Young Chef Challenge, while South Korea championed the Global Pastry Chef Challenge.
For more information, visit www.worldoffoodasia.com, www.thailandfoodfair.com
Words by: Ellen Boonstra
Issue 30
A premium natural food producer aims to expand business in the AEC and the US by focusing on the health food segment.
“The health food trend is very strong now,” says Vittavat Phonphaisan, Vice President of Heritage Snacks and Food. Established in 1986, the company now operates in eight countries and exports to over 60 countries globally, producing and managing several brands that range from nuts, juices, dried fruit and berries to vermicelli and popcorn.
“We focus on natural food, natural snacks and natural drinks. Overseas, there is a dried fruit and nuts category, however, in Thailand dried fruit still tends to be sweetened or pickled,” says Phonpaisan.
One of the company’s most important products are cashew nuts, as the company is able to grow and process the nut themselves in Thailand. On the other hand, ingredients such as berries, macadamia nuts, walnuts and almonds are imported from various countries and processed at the company’s facilities before being sold either domestically or exported to other markets.
According to Phonpaisan, 65% of Heritage Snack and Food’s products are exported while 35% are sold in Thailand. “Our main export markets are ASEAN countries and the US, with the European market slowing down lately. The ASEAN market is doing extremely well, with strong growth and increasing stability,” says Phonphaisan.
Heritage Snacks is keen to expand its business, as it owns production plants and land in Thailand, Laos and South Africa, while keeping an eye on the emerging AEC market. “We want to expand and localise the company’s operations in AEC countries,” says Phonpaisan, as the company aims to create joint ventures in operating countries, with a recent partnership in the Philippines being their latest move.
The company also plans to branch out into the snack food, such as popcorn. “Last year we launched the WonderPuff Popcorn, a gourmet, homemade popcorn comparable to over-the-counter brands but sold in supermarkets. We want to sell good products that are inexpensive,” says Phonpaisan.
He believes that in the future manufacturers will increasingly focus on healthy food options, as customers are becoming more health-conscious. “Quality products do not have to be imported; we can produce them in Thailand,” he says. “You don’t need to just export Tom Yum Goong. Raw materials can be sourced anywhere then processed here. We can compete [with other countries] through better technology and better prices.”
In addition to producing ingredients for other food manufacturers, the company is looking to expand into manufacturing ingredients for home cooking and home baking as part of its overall plans to boost revenue. “We have a target to increase our growth by 30% compared to last year,” says Phonpaisan.
Words by Sirinuch Borsub
Issue 28
Held from November 6, 2014 to April 11, 2015, The Thai Pavilion at Global Village Dubai provided a compelling stage for Thai entrepreneurs to take their business to the Arabian market.
For more than two decades, the Global Village Dubai has combined a thriving marketplace with cultural shows and entertainment from various countries around the world.
“Global Village is the biggest trade show with a mixture of trade and consumers welcoming over 7 million visitors from around the world each year,” says Akavut Tangsilikusolwong, chair of Thailand Business Council (TBC) – Dubai and the Northern Emirates of UAE. “Our Thai Pavilion is ranked in the top five highlights of the fair. The Middle East people basically have a positive attitude towards Thailand. Our hospitality and craft is well known for our products and services.”
TBC is a non-profit organisation set up by the Thai business group under the approval and permission of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It was officially founded in August 2010 with the support of the Royal Thai Embassy Abu Dhabi, Royal Thai Consulate-General Dubai, Thai Trade Office in Dubai, Tourism Authority of Thailand (Dubai Office) and Thai Airways.
“TBC comprises of the extensive Thai business sector in the UAE, for instance, restaurants, spas, hotels, oil and gas, media, event organisers, food, construction, building materials, general trading, etc.,” says Tangsilikusolwong. “Recently, about 100 companies and individuals have joined TBC. Our Team Thailand’s role is to promote and update news and information to support Thai and Thai-related business in the UAE in order to find cooperation and business opportunities for our members as well as … promoting cross-cultural exchange between UAE and Thailand.”
The Thai Pavilion at Global Village Dubai is a great tool for Thai entrepreneurs to experience UAE market, according to Tangsilikusolwong.
“If they [exhibitors] have good products or services, receive the right information and are patient enough to learn the nature of both the locals and expats here, this is a good stage for them to present their business potential,” he says. “Now we are trying to push the ‘Thai Mart’ as our next plan.” The Thai Mart will be a Thai commercial centre containing an array of Thai shops, as well as offering visa, accommodation, transportation, and business permits and license services.
For more information, please visit www.tbcuae.com
Words by Natthinee Ratanaprasidhi
Issue 29
Thai designers and software developers at the Bangkok Comic Con 2015 combined augmented reality with action figures in the hope of using this new technology in e-commerce and animation.
Computer animation is no laughing matter in Thailand. It is a multi-billion baht business.
The country’s digital content market was valued at 15.6 billion baht in 2013, by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), with 6.4 billion stemming from e-learning, 4.52 billion from online games and 4.71 billion from animation.
Organised in early May 2015, Bangkok Comic Con and Anime Festival Asia 2015 brought together professionals from the film and animation industries of Hollywood, Japan, Thailand and across Asia to showcase their latest achievements in the entertainment and animation industries.
Napat Phromphruk, Project Manager and Developer from Mafia Factory showcased the CE (pronounced as "Zee") Toy, the first platform toy designed and produced in Thailand at the event.
“We were one of the finalists who were chosen at the International Design Toy Awards 2011 in the US as Best DIY Platform and Most Influential Event for the CE Toy,” said Phromphruk, “This project started a few years ago, when we created a mascot for the Thai government under the Creative Economy, Creative Thailand policy, and after than we wanted to develop it, so we found a toy manufacturer who has been working with us to produce [the CE Toy].”
Apichai Ruangsiripiyakul, augmented reality (AR) software developer at Mafia Factory says, “Napat [Phromphruk] wanted to merge the hardware and software together to create the CE Toy. Our next stage will be developing [the CE Toy] to become interactive and to use in e-commerce, and we have also collaborated with different Thai and international artists.”
Apart from being the first official launch of the CE Toy artist series which is designed by Malaysian, Indonesian, and Thai artists, the toys also came with blank faces so that even the most basic users can design the faces themselves and use the applications to enable the figures to move in 3D onscreen.
“The movement and characteristics would depend on each character, whether they are serious or playful, and users have also been giving us feedback on how to design movements,” says Ryangsiripiyakul.
Thanawat Ruamwang, art director of Lenarai, is another Bangkok-based designer and manufacturer of action figures and collectibles participating in the Bangkok Comic Con. “Ten years ago, we started the company from our Moderndog figures [Thai alternative band],” says Ruamwang,“People now regard these figures as art pieces, and they show much more interest than in the past.”
He reveals that this year the company is collaborating with a Japanese comic license owner to produce figures based on a popular comic, with another project to produce models of classic arcade games. “We think our designs are unique from others, and we have a clear style and unity [in our products],” adds Ruamwang.
Words by Sirinuch Borsub
Issue 27
Nature creates its own beauty, but craftsmanship allied to creativity can open up fresh markets even for a company well versed in its trade.
“Nature plays a big part in the success of our products,” says Danai Leosawathiphong, managing director of Siam Royal Orchid Co. Ltd., one of the twenty businesses that joined the second edition of DITP’s Product Champions – Potential Development of Silver Jewellery Products and Markets Project.
The project aims to support entrepreneurs develop their products and expand into more markets.
“After learning about trends and designs and taking part in a marketing and product development workshop with Carlin International, we can apply what we have [learned] to match the market’s demand,” says Leosawathiphong.
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