Fiji Sun

Local Food Traders Tantalise Australia’s Taste Buds

- MONICA AGUILAR SUVA Feedback: monica.aguilar@fijisun.com.fj

Gene’s Premium Seafood received a positive response in the Pacific Trade and Invest Australia’s Pacific Show Case at the Fine Food Australia.

The company received great interest in their products which attracted potential buyers in the country. The event took place from 11-14 September in Sydney.

“Our intentions to attend the event was to see what the overseas market is like.

“We sell cold smoked fish and people are used to hot smoked salmon. So we did not expect people to know us or even want to come and know us,” Gene’s Premium Seafood sales manager Filpe Rogers. However, that expectatio­n had changed when the showcase began. According to him, people were surprised to know that there was cold smoked products.

“Our product is unique and through the showcase, we have gained a lot of potential buyers although the resources are very limited,” said Mr Rogers.

This is the first time for the company to be invited to join the showcase.

Foods Pacific Limited (FPL) was also given the privilege to showcase their products at the showcase.

Export sales manager Sam Malankar said: “The support we have had from PTI Australia has been phenomenal.

“Trade shows of these magnitude where over 5,000 buyers and distributo­rs are walking through the doors each day provides a great platform to get exposure to an internatio­nal market.

“We have gotten some great leads through being part of PTI Australia’s showcase and we are excited to see what the future holds.” Mr Malankar added that being part of the showcase has helped the company to develop relationsh­ips and awareness in the internatio­nal market as well as to promote their Fijian Made brand, Taste of India.

Pacific Trade and Invest general manager exports Jeremy Grennell said the overall showcase was an overwhelmi­ng success.

“PTI Australia’s Pacific Showcase, provided an opportunit­y for

enterprise­s from across the Pacific Islands to raise their awareness to an internatio­nal audience and to get direct feedback from buyers on their products.

“The response our Pacific Island enterprise­s have had from the trade show has been overwhelmi­ngly positive. “Distributo­rs and buyers from across Australia, Asia and North America visited our enterprise­s and they were impressed by both the quality and range of products from the Pacific Islands” Mr Grennell said.

Fine Food Australia is Australasi­a’s largest food trade event attracting enterprise­s from across the globe.

Eight Pacific enterprise­s from across the Pacific Islands – Samoa’s Ma’oi; Fiji’s Foods Pacific Ltd and Genes Premium Seafoods; Vanuatu’s Azure Pure Water Ltd; Niue Vanilla Organic; NiuLife and Solagro Products from the Solomon Islands and PNG’s Superior Coffee.

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 ?? Photo by: PTI ?? Jeremy Grennell, General Manager Exports, PTI Australia and Filpe Rogers, Sales Manager, Gene’s Premium Seafood.
Photo by: PTI Jeremy Grennell, General Manager Exports, PTI Australia and Filpe Rogers, Sales Manager, Gene’s Premium Seafood.

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