Fruitful Export Deal Won Via Internet

Fruitful Export Deal Won Via Internet

Tauranga, 14 May, 2003 -- Profiling on Trade New Zealand’s export website MarketNewZealand.com has earned a Mt Maunganui export fruit marketing company a $100,000 contract to supply fruit to Taiwan – and the potential for ongoing Taiwan-bound exports.

Prendo Produce New Zealand Ltd, a New Zealand distributor and exporter of kiwifruit, KiwiBerry (arguta or baby kiwifruit), apples and pears, clinched the deal after responding to a request by Taiwanese fruit distributor Hsin Gon Corporation Ltd via MarketNewZealand.com’s online trade enquiry system.

Now, just six weeks after the trade enquiry reached Prendo Produce’s email inbox, the company is filling a 40-foot container of premium Hawke's Bay fruit for shipping to Taiwan. Another container will be shipped to Taiwan in late May to complete the $100,000 contract.

After being connected with Hsin Gon Corporation through MarketNewZealand.com, Prendo Produce is now in negotiations to export an ongoing supply of fruit to the company – which could net further foreign exchange earnings of more than $100,000 per year.

Prendo Produce has an extensive export network, with markets in Australia, the United Kingdom, North America, Europe and Asia. The company is one of just two suppliers of New Zealand fresh produce to Capespan International, a world leader in the international marketing of fresh fruit.

The Taiwanese deal was struck at an opportune time for Prendo Produce as it sought to expand its export base in Taiwan.

MarketNewZealand.com was developed by Trade New Zealand to automate and streamline the trade enquiry system used extensively by Trade New Zealand staff and exporters, opening the channels for New Zealand exporters to connect online with world markets. Using the online trade enquiry system, overseas buyers enter an enquiry for Trade New Zealand staff to validate and then match with appropriate, quality-screened New Zealand exporters profiled on the site.

Trade New Zealand receives more than 3000 international trade enquiries from overseas buyers each year, all of which are now directed to exporters profiled on MarketNewZealand.com.

Prendo Produce managing director Tony Ponder says MarketNewZealand.com’s trade enquiry system has enabled the company to consider exporting opportunities they may not have known about through offline trading channels.

“MarketNewZealand.com gives us an opportunity to view a range of trade enquiries suited to our business, that we can choose to progress further. It is a user-friendly service that brings with it the excellent support of Trade New Zealand staff, and enables us to respond quickly to enquiries for orders that will help us to expand our export base and bring profitable returns for growers.

“The Taiwanese order has really driven home the value of Trade New Zealand’s online service for us. We receive regular trade enquiries via MarketNewZealand.com, and we regularly check the site for market intelligence and exporting advice,” Mr Ponder says.

Trade New Zealand regional account manager Jodie Tipping says the website gives exporters in the food and beverage sector a fast and efficient way of answering trade enquiries, and gives them a credible web presence that they may not have had before.

“Prendo Produce’s export success in Taiwan is evidence of how profiling on MarketNewZealand.com really works to boost export earnings,” Ms Tipping says.

Taiwan has become a more open and accessible market for New Zealand exporters since the country’s accession to the World Trade Organisation in January 2002. In the year ended December 2002, New Zealand exported $435 million worth of food and beverage products to Taiwan, with $17.4 million of that apple and pears.

Director of the New Zealand Trade Development Centre in Taiwan, Irvine Paulin, says the internet is gradually becoming an accepted international trading channel for Taiwanese buyers, but many companies are unfamiliar with using the web to connect to overseas markets.

“The centre is helping to educate Taiwanese companies on the extensive benefits of online trading, and guiding them through the MarketNewZealand.com trade enquiry process. They are gaining a speedy response to their enquiries, which is significant given the tight timeframes that are typical within the food and beverage sector,” Mr Paulin says.

© Scoop Media