SPC has launched in China with its Goulburn Valley and SPC fruit brands. The company announced its partnership with China State Farm Agribusiness Shanghai (CSFA Shanghai) at a formal signing ceremony in Shanghai on Thursday.
The major milestone demonstrated SPC’s continued momentum and the growing demand in China for Australian produce.
“In our 100th year, we are thrilled to be able to bring our premium Goulburn Valley & SPC packaged fruit to the largest consumer market in the world,” said SPC managing director Reg Weine.
“China represents a significant business opportunity for SPC in the years ahead, and this is an important step in realising our growth strategy. As well as being two of Australia’s most recognised, loved and trusted food brands, the products we are taking to China come straight out of the Goulburn Valley – the renowned food bowl of Australia. We aim to leverage this reputation, as well as our heritage and provenance when launching our brands in China.”
The company said in a statement CSFA Shanghai, part of the CSFA Group Corporation, will be SPC’s master distributor in China.
“It takes significant time and resources to build brands in overseas markets and CSFA Shanghai has the dedicated personnel, sales and marketing support we need to build our brands on the ground, as well as the distribution capability to reach China’s burgeoning middle class,” said Weine. “We have established strong business relationships with several Australian companies and we are very pleased to be partnering with SPC to continue developing successful businesses in China.”
SPC has also appointed Ye Yiqian, a well-known celebrity, singer and actress, as its brand ambassador for China.
“Yiqian has already injected a great amount of personality and style into our brands ahead of our launch into the Chinese market,” said Weine. “Her passion for cooking, love of food, and her deep connection with aspirational Chinese consumers is something we believe will be advantageous for our launch and will help contextualise our products for this new audience.”
SPC said their plans include bringing its premium branded products to Chinese consumers through
high-end supermarkets, speciality retailers and leading on-line and e-commerce platforms.
“It’s about taking our market leading brands into markets where provenance plays a part
and there is a large enough consumer segment that is affluent and willing to pay a premium
for Australian produce. The Chinese market is five times the size of the Australian processed
fruit market, which makes this a huge opportunity,” Weine concluded.
SPC has been exporting to international markets for more than 90 years, including in the USA, UK, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and the Middle East.
