Tirlán is planning to hit €50 million in sales revenue from the Chinese market this year, according to its general manager for China, Raymond Li.
Speaking to Agriland at SIAL Shanghai, the farmer-owned milk processing firm’s manager of the Chinese market said that Tirlán has been growing its share in the China market for the past nine years.
“This year, we are looking for €50 million in sales in the Chinese market,” he said.
Last year Tirlán’s sales in the Chinese market totalled “approximately €38 million”, according to Li.
“We are confident we can grow that because our foodservice business developed very well this year and also, we raised our price in the last six months,” Li added.
The company supplies a wide range of products to the market but some of its main products in China include ultra-high temperature (UHT) cream, as well as a range of UHT milks, cheddars and butters.
According to Li, Tirlán’s UHT cream is sold under the Avonmore brand. The range of UHT milks include pure milk, skimmed milk and low-fat milks. These products are sold primarily through foodservice outlets such as bakerys and tea rooms.
Li added that the grass-fed concept is “becoming more and more popular” in China.
“The consumer in China is more and more focused on food safety and they want clean food,” he said.
SIAL
The international food and drinks trade show Salon International de l’Alimentation (SIAL) took place in Shanghai, China last week.
The three-day event got underway on Thursday, May 18, and saw companies in the food and drinks industries from across the world gather to showcase their produce and develop and grow new markets.
The show covers a vast area with over 215,000m2 of trade stands, over 5,500 exhibitors and more than 180,000 industry professionals from across the world at the event.
The Irish food and drinks industries had a strong presence in both the meat and dairy sections of the event.
Bord Bia had a significant presence at the event with its Shanghai-based team as well as Irish staff on hand for the duration of the event to assist and support the Irish companies showcasing their products.