Kim Chuan eyes Philippines, Vietnam, and Japan for bakery fat sales

The bakery fat and flavoured butter maker says finding the right exhibition channel remains its biggest barrier to APAC entry.

Kim Chuan Oils & Fats is testing trade shows across Asia-Pacific as it looks for buyers that can carry its bakery fats and foodservice products in markets such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan.

Speaking in an interview during THAIFEX – Anuga Asia, KC Ng, Managing Director at Kim Chuan Oils & Fats, said the company supplies bakery fats used in cakes, croissants and breads. It also sells truffle butter and garlic butter for foodservice applications such as rice, spaghetti and cooking.

The company’s expansion challenge is choosing the right route to market. Ng said there are many exhibitions across APAC, but not all offer the right buyer mix for its product category.

“There’s a lot of exhibitions going, but we’re not sure which one is right for us, and which one got the most crowd and the correct target customers,” Ng said.

Kim Chuan plans to join more regional exhibitions to identify distributors and customers that fit its bakery and foodservice portfolio. Ng said the company is looking at the Philippines and Vietnam, whilst Bangkok remains a regular exhibition market. Japan is also being considered as a market where it wants to find partners to carry its products.

The plan shows how regional expansion for food suppliers depends less on broad market demand and more on finding credible distribution partners. Bakery fats and flavoured butter products need buyers that can place them in the right foodservice and bakery channels.

For Kim Chuan, the opportunity is to widen its APAC reach through targeted exhibitions. The risk is spending time and resources on events that do not deliver the right customers.