Picture: Josh Gadischke chats with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on the Plenty Foods stand in Shanghai.
Last week, in concert with international visits by our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, we joined a delegation of over 100 Australian industry representatives from education, business, resources, agriculture and tourism sectors to attend the China International Import Expo (CIIE2023). The expo is a trade fair hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. The mission from Australia was designed to strengthen trade confidence with China.
CIIE is one of the world’s largest trade shows, attracting 400,000 visitors.
For Queensland, it was an important event to raise the profile of Queensland businesses and TIQ organised a delegation of 28 to take our products to the world as part of this mission. All the best of all the good stuff Queensland has to offer was on show, including premium beef, seafood, horticulture, wine and beverages, processed food and health and wellness products.
Annastacia Palaszczuk officially opened the Taste of Queensland Pavilion. During the opening, the Premier cooked premium Queensland wagyu sirloin with Aussie Beef Mates chef Reina Chen and oversaw the signing of several MOUs between Queensland companies and their Chinese partners. Anthony Albanese stopped by to flip a steak with our amazing super-high oleic Safflower Oil, and got a taste a taste of some of Queensland’s other best products on show in Shanghai, including the iconic Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, wagyu steak from King River Ag and honey from Hive + Wellness Australia.
We really felt a part of the buzz in what was the largest trade mission in Queensland’s history to China!
The Taste of Queensland pavilion was Trade Investment Queensland’s biggest yet at this event, and featured 28 exhibitors who showcased some of the best food, beverage, horticultural and wellness products the state has to offer, including ours! A very enjoyable and well-organised event! Read the South Burnett news coverage of this event below, or click here to go to their page.
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November 29, 2023
Plenty Foods owner Josh Gadischke has been rubbing shoulders with potential buyers at a massive import expo in Shanghai.
The Kingaroy-based company had a stall at the 6th China International Import Expo held from November 6-9.
Plenty Foods was one of 26 Queensland food producers invited by Trade & Investment Queensland (TIQ) to take part in the event, held in one of the largest convention centres in the world.
The 16-pavilion expo featured everything from medical equipment to tourism, with food products filling three pavilions.
TIQ booked several hundred square metres in one of these food spaces.
One of the first visitors to drop by the Plenty Foods stand – while they were still setting up – was Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who was taking part in a separate mission to China.
The PM took part in a cooking demonstration using Australian beef and Plenty Foods oil.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also visited the stall while officially opening the Queensland stand.
Josh said TIQ had put a lot of effort into the look and feel of the Queensland display, and local TIQ staff in Shanghai had also been very helpful, introducing potential buyers and making introductions.
TIQ also provided interpreters, although many of the Chinese buyers also spoke English.
Josh said the message he sensed from the Expo was that China was saying “we are open for business”.
Plenty Foods has been selling into China for some time and escaped the worst of Australia’s recent trade issues, although Josh said volumes had reduced.
However, he was confident that the market would pick up.
“Australia has a very high regard in China. They trust Australia, they trust our food and our clean, green reputation,” Josh said.
He said Plenty Foods’ major export lines into China are peanut butter and walnut, macadamia and avocado oils.
The company sells under its own brand as well as bottling under private labels for Chinese firms.
The TIQ trade mission also included tours of local supermarkets and meetings with food service providers at their own headquarters.
So was this latest trade mission worthwhile?
“We got some really good new leads, more than I expected,” Josh said.
“I am confident we will get some business out of it, but these things take time.
“It could be 12 months before we see the benefits.”