Zambrero : The mission to stop world hunger
Matthew Kenny, CEO at Zambrero, discusses his organisation’s drive to play its part in the fight against hunger globally.
Angliss Asia : Food and Fortune
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its societal impact across the world, we speak to Johnny Kang, CEO of Angliss Asia, about the company’s adaptation and development in the Asian food and beverage industry.
JustKitchen
We talk to Kent Wu, COO of JustKitchen, about the company’s all-encompassing method of business in the Asian food and beverage industry Writer: Marcus Kääpä During this challenging period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the food and beverage industry has been turned upside-down. Companies and businesses across the globe have slowed and even completely halted in a hibernating state to endure the unique and trying past year. Several businesses have also adapted to maximise their opportunities during this new way of working and living, such as turning to digital orders and home deliveries. Despite COVID-19 negatively impacting countries for extended lengths of time, Taiwan has returned to a semi-normality fairly quickly. Because of the swift adherence to the notion of a national lockdown (that was a voluntary lockdown with restrictions on travel rather than government mandated), this smooth transition to combat the virus has limited the negative effects for Taiwan compared to many other countries that have, and still are, facing challenges. In light of this, Taiwan has already reached a level of post-pandemic normality that spells promise for sectors across the nation. While many companies have had to shift and adapt to new methods of operation, JustKitchen has been able to provide its high quality and professional services to a multitude of customers. “JustKitchen is essentially an operator with its own brands. We create our own in-house brands that appeal to a wide cross section of tastes and are able to deliver very high-quality meals through our network of kitchens,” explains Kent Wu, COO of the company. Kent had always been…
TNI King Coffee
Building a Global Coffee EmpireThe story behind the rise of TNI King Coffee, a Vietnamese coffee brand and café franchise with ambitious plans at home and abroad Writer: Sean Galea-Pace | Project Manager: Donovan Smith Part 1 – A Personal Story “Coffee has always brought me endless joy, creativity and passion,” gleams Le Hoang Diep Thao, Vietnamese entrepreneur and Founder and CEO of Trung Nguyen, the company which owns her latest venture – TNI King Coffee. It took two decades of building up her first enterprise before the decision was made to launch a second startup, the lesson very much being the need to master the fundamentals of business, and coffee. “With Trung Nguyen, everything starts from the most basic things,” Mrs Thao says. “You learn about coffee beans, grasp seasonal prices, learn how to process and package finished products, self-manage with the first employees in the small coffee factory. Then, you gradually reach further, find ways to open stores and develop a distribution system according to international standards. “As for King Coffee, since I have accumulated more than 20 years of experience, when starting a business, I chose to immediately set up a standards system from the beginning – a modern factory with international certifications, systematic distribution regularity, and diverse products to satisfy all the demands of enjoying coffee in modern society. However, you cannot forget to still pay attention to the smallest details towards perfection.” Mrs Thao’s journey to this point has not been without its challenges. The entrepreneur admits that there have been ups and downs along the way,…
Bangkok Air Catering
Navigating DisruptionKhun Linus A.E. Knobel, Managing Director of Bangkok Air Catering, discusses the importance of an agile approach following COVID-19 travel disruptions Writer: Sean Galea-Pace | Project Manager: Donovan Smith Regarded as one of the world’s most popular travel destinations, Thailand is renowned for its unique culture, offering exotic food, beautiful landscapes and rich culture to those that visit. Approximately 25 million people a year visit Thailand and it experiences one of the highest tourism rates from US citizens when visiting Asia. Bangkok Air Catering (BAC) is considered one of the highest quality airline caterers in Thailand. Its guiding principle is to offer exclusive products and services through the values of reliability, dedication, compliance, never-ending care, and with pride. BAC is committed to sustaining its position as the leading food provider in Thailand. Over the years, the organisation has successfully established Gourmet House Culinary Care, a provider of premium catering services for private hospitals, Gourmet Primo, a production plant of customised meal solutions that enjoys strong representation in the airport lounge, HORECA and event sectors, and Gourmet House Group of Restaurants, authentic cuisines with a modern flair. And overseeing operations is Khun Linus A.E. Knobel, Managing Director at Bangkok Air Catering Group. Having been with the company since its inception in 2004, his passion for the food and beverage industry is evident. “I see it as much, much more than a profession or a trade,” he explains. “And it could never be a mere hobby for me. Whatever the occasion, it is nothing less than an art form. I have pursued…
Express Food Group (EFG)
A Passion for Good FoodEFG Group is helping bring people across Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos together through its internationally renowned food and beverage offerings Writer: Dani Redd | Project Manager: Donovan Smith There is no sincerer love than the love of food, Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw was once quoted as saying. Food isn’t just about nutrition; it’s also a way of celebrating cultural identity and bringing people together. Making memories through food is something that Martin Darby, Managing Director of Express Food Group (EFG), has long been passionate about. “Dine-in has been the bedrock of the local F&B industry and with many local festivals and the important position of family, we see the dining experience continuing to grow and evolve, especially in our provincial cities,” he says. Martin joined EFG in 2019 after an illustrious career in the industry, in the belief that the company is perfectly positioned to become one of the top F&B operators in Asia.His optimism is easy to explain. EFG employs over 1,500 people and has a strong operational presence in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. It is a partner of choice for leading brands in Southeast Asia – including several owned by Minor Food and Food Passion Group – as well as internationally known brands from the US, like Dairy Queen International and Krispy Kreme. “We see our mission as understanding our customer needs and bringing them a portfolio of the best, most trusted local and international restaurant and kiosk brands,” Martin explains.The Managing Director believes that EFG is able to stand apart as a partner of choice…
Trukai Industries
Producing for PNGTrukai Industries Ltd has been building up a national rice industry for more than 50 years, its work centred around community and people Project Manager: Josh HylandReally good food - a simple strapline but one that everybody can identify with. As well as keeping us alive and healthy, food forms a focal point of social and family interaction, with few better feelings than providing relatives and friends with a tasty meal. Papua New Guinea’s Trukai Industries Ltd is centred around this concept. The word Trukai originates from a saying in the local language - trupela kaikai - which translates to really good food. Trukai began life as Ricegrowers – Australia Pty. Limited in 1970, and has played a central role in feeding Papua New Guineans ever since. Back then, it exclusively dealt in the distribution of a single variety of white and brown rice, packed and delivered in polysac bags. In the half century since, Trukai has grown into the nation’s leading supplier of rice and is the only firm that manufacturers its products locally, serving as a true bedrock to the community. This important PNG-centric milestone was reached in August 2019 when it launched Trukai Hamamas Rice. It is 100 percent homegrown in the Rangiampum village in Umi, Morobe Province, grown from 275 hectares of rainfed crop in the Markham Valley before being milled and packaged at the firm’s main base in Lae. Speaking at the time of the announcement, CEO Greg Worthington-Eyre said: “It took a lot of hard work and commitment by our hardworking staff and the support…
Tereos FKS Indonesia
Reversing the Import TideTereos FKS Indonesia is determined to reverse the trend of reliance on food imports, the joint venture now supplying more than a quarter of the nation’s demand for corn starch Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Ben Weaver Indonesia is something of a regional posterchild when it comes to telling the story of Southeast Asia’s economic rise. The fourth most populated country in the world, the archipelago nation is also home to incredible cultural diversity, made up of more than 300 ethnic groups who pool together to power what is the largest regional economy. The country’s rise has been impressive. Since the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, Indonesian GDP per capita has risen markedly, from just $823 in 2000 to $3,932 in 2018. Poverty in Indonesia has been reduced by more than half (to 9.4 percent in 2019), with the nation now a member of the G-20 and home to the 10th largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity. So, in short, there is a lot to be optimistic about. However, something of an elephant in the room is the fact that Indonesia, despite its enormous agrarian potential, is over-reliant on food imports. “Indonesia is enjoying economic growth of more than five percent compared to the global economic growth of three percent, and increasing demand in the food and beverage industry is also developing in terms of quantity and product type,” explains Maya Devi, Commercial and Operations Director at Tereos FKS Indonesia. “Unfortunately, lots of our food ingredient supply has been dominated…
Innovative Agro Industry
Inspiring Agrarian IndependenceInnovative Agro Industry continues to drive developments across a wide variety of agricultural endeavours, providing PNG producers with vital commercialisation opportunities and employment to many other locals Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Matthew Selby Papua New Guinea should be a self-sustaining agrarian producer.The country is blessed with naturally conducive conditions for farming a wide variety of crops – a warm and rainy climate, rich soil and abundant water resources – but despite these favourable factors it relies on imports to feed its people.Among the top imported products, along with vehicles, fuel and heavy machinery, are meat and rice, basic dietary staples which consumers are paying inflated prices for due to a lack of commercial home production.For Ilan Weiss, Chairman & Executive Director of Innovative Agro Industry (IAI), the opportunity to narrow this deficit and help PNG to get back on (or discover) its farming feet was too good to turn down.“The primary reason to engage in agriculture here are the Papua New Guineans,” he says. “You can try and engage a Papua New Guinean on any subject on any matter and they may be interested or not, just like anyone else, but you mention agriculture to them, and their eyes light up.“The reason for this is that they have been doing agriculture for far longer than Europeans – it is something that is dear to their hearts. Papua New Guineans have been farming for thousands of years but that does not deter an acceptance of innovation. You find good farmers almost everywhere in the country.”IAI is a subsidiary of LR Group, a leading project development organisation active in Africa, Europe,…
Classic Fine Foods Asia
Food Made Personal Partnering with artisanal producers all over the world, Classic Fine Foods prides itself on helping food industry operators to connect with their customers and tell their stories Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Lewis Bush “An important trend that we are seeing is the need to tell a story. “Consumers are increasingly conscious of where their food comes from. How long ago was the fish caught? How was the fish caught? How far away from the restaurant does it come from? These are all questions we as suppliers and chefs need to answer.” For Christophe Barret and food sourcing specialist Classic Fine Foods (CFF), provenance is everything. More than ever consumers are scrutinising the story behind their food and drink purchases, so much so that the journey a product takes before reaching them can carry equal weight to the substance of the item itself. “Sustainability, for example, is therefore a major requirement for our chefs in today’s restaurant industry as their customers will choose dishes that are produced responsibly,” adds Barret, who is approaching one year as CFF’s Chief Executive Officer. “I’m French and I love food – two things that often go hand in hand,” he adds. “I started my career in the retail industry 25 years ago and joined Classic Fine Foods in October 2018 after 14 years working in five different markets.” Personal touch Although now owned by a leading international wholesale company, Classic Fine Foods has been able to operate with a strong degree of independence which has enabled it to maintain what Barret believes is an organisational hallmark and…
