Copyright farmersweekly
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chinese consumers’ preparedness to mix and match their tastes across the lines of sweet and savoury is complemented by the Fonterra Application Centre doubling down with client companies, keeping them ahead in the intensely competitive market. Swiss-trained chef Teoh Joo Cheong is chef-director at one of the six centres Fonterra operates across China. Their regional placement reflects the significant differences that exist across the enormous country in terms of consumer tastes and preferences, requiring different formulations depending on location. A traditional dish like lotus soup from Hubei province may lend itself to a dairy product addition, while consumers in Shanghai particularly enjoy the taste of jasmine flower in the cream of their milk tea. The country’s bakery trade is on track to be worth US$160 billion by 2030, with a growth trajectory that demands producers constantly work to develop new, exciting, crowd-drawing tastes and products to keep volumes up. The centre in Shanghai has a fully laid-out commercial kitchen and a team of chefs working with foodservice client companies seeking the “next big thing” in their sector. “We would have 300 recipes under development here, and this includes recipes adjusted for seasonality, and local delicacies,” Teoh said. Social media’s predominance means consumers are often first eating with their eyes and Teoh’s team work on some key parameters that help define the food’s appearance, as much as its taste. “This includes the product’s fluffiness, crispness and smoothness. There in intense competition on these features.” With a powerful network of social media influencers and very fast door-to-door delivery network, Chinese consumers can quickly provide a digital thumbs-up, or down, when new products and outlets kick off. Shanghai consumers are adventurous and comfortable with sweet-savoury combinations that may challenge some Western palates. They include the likes of a beef Wellington croissant, or a butter red bean rice bagel. Often the aim of the centre’s work is to take commonly used margarine out of the recipe, replacing it with healthy dairy products, called a “dairy upgrade”. In traditional Chinese dishes the staff have worked on an almost fusion approach to developing New Zealand dairy inclusive options that introduce consumers to the dairy products’ texture and mouthfeel. For example, chefs may prepare a traditional fish head and cider dish, dropping the oil component to add in butter, lifting its mouthfeel and texture to turn it into an new taste experience. Traditional Chinese rice cakes may have butter included to give them a crisper, tastier outer layer, while risotto may be made with Chinese rice and braised pork, with cream cheese added, and finished with butter. “We given them the base and trendy recipe here. But if they have a problem when they start producing at scale, we can offer help to troubleshoot, and the more they ask the more we become embedded in their business.” This is reinforced by the centre having a young, savvy marketing team who work with client companies to help lay out marketing and promotion strategies for their new creation. “The coordinated efforts of our “Market + Sales + Chef” trio, we are committed to providing customers with localised product applications and innovative marketing solutions,” said Teoh. That has included the likes of social media campaigns, and marketing campaign like collaborating with the popular IP “BearisBug” to launch co-branded pastries and merchandise by using Anchor’s UHT cream with its smooth and delicate texture. “Many customers attach our IP creation of popular animated Labubu type toy to their backpacks.” Frequent references to “made with Anchor Butter/Cream” appear among the baked goods sold by client companies in retail outlets around the city. “We are really trying to get alongside our customers, know what they need, incorporate good dairy ingredients and deliver them more sustainable business growth,” said Teoh. Rennie’s Meeting the Market tour has been made possible with grants from Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, Rabobank, Zespri, Alliance Group, Meat Industry Association, Wools of NZ, Beef + Lamb NZ, NZ Merino, the European Union and Gallagher.
