Australia’s united food and wine team heads to Taiwan
31 October 2024
Leaders of some of Australia’s most prominent agriculture representative groups are focussing on Taiwan next month in a collaborative effort to increase export opportunities for Australia’s premium food and wine.
The Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group, which includes MLA, along with Dairy Australia, Hort Innovation, Wine Australia and Seafood Industry Australia, will hold a series of roundtable discussions, workshops and a gala dinner in Taipei on 11 November.
Taiwan is regarded as a stable and long-standing market for Australia’s exports, with a growing middle class and an increasing demand for premium safe produce. The Taiwanese population is known for having a high discretionary spend, with more than a quarter of the average income spent in the food service industry.
MLA General Manager of International Markets Andrew Cox said Taiwan is the sixth largest export market for Australia’s beef, with a solid foundation on which to support future growth.
“Taiwan as a market has consistently been important for over 40 years and the Australian meat industry has deep connections with the Taiwanese food importer community,” Mr Cox said.
On Monday, November 11, members of the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group will attend export market roundtable discussions with key market contacts. This will be followed by a press conference to share the story of Australia’s premium offering with local media.
In the afternoon there will be a series of five individual workshops where local food industry representatives will experience the joys of working with Australia’s premium meat, seafood, wine, dairy and horticulture products.
The day culminates with the Taste the Wonders of Australia Gala Dinner, which showcases the best of Australian food and wine to more than 100 Taiwanese food and trade representatives. This is the fifth Taste the Wonders of Australia Gala Dinner, in what has become a highly effective way to celebrate the best of Australia’s premium products in one forum, under the one brand.
“The Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group is a vital platform to enhance awareness of Australia’s food and wine industries in markets like Taiwan,” Mr Cox said.
“This collaboration showcases the quality and variety of Australian produce and fosters relationships between Australian industry and Taiwanese importers and businesses.”
Dairy Australia General Manager Charles McElhone said this is the fifth export market to be visited by the Australia Food and Wine Collaboration Group, following similar export and trade development activities in Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea and Indonesia over the past two years.
“We are clearly gaining momentum with each new market sprint,” Mr McElhone said. “And now we are focussing on Taiwan, which we know is an important market for Australian produce and beverages. It is well regarded for its advanced food processing sector, and we understand that consumer preferences are sophisticated and that they are moving up the value chain.
“By working together as a group, we are confident these market activities will add to our ongoing effort to raise awareness of Australia’s premium produce in high-potential markets across Asia, to deepen relationships with exporting partners, and increase bilateral trade opportunities.”
The investment by the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group is supported by Agriculture Trade and Market Access Cooperation (ATMAC), with a $500,000 grant for the first four export market destinations in 2022-2024, and a second grant of $600,000 to continue the program for the next two years, with markets including Taiwan and Japan among the next destinations.
