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News
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Hong Kong gets a taste of Pacific Northwest agriculture
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8/4/2010
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Article Content Suggested lead
Fresh blueberries, Dungeness crab, and a variety of wines from Oregon and Washington enjoyed three weeks in the spotlight this summer as part of a targeted in-store promotion in Hong Kong:
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Park n' Shop is one of Hong Kong's largest retail grocery chains and made a special effort to display a number of Pacific Northwest food and beverage products. Trade manager Amanda Welker of the Oregon Department of Agriculture says there was quite a bit of publictiy for the promotion:
WELKER: "The most featured items were wine, and Dungeness crab got quite a bit of press. They were sourcing blueberries out of Oregon during this time and some retail products." :14
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The early reports indicate the promotion was a success, with some sales but even more awareness about the high quality products Oregon and Washington have to offer. While the buying power of the seven million consumers in Hong Kong is important for agricultural exports, its Hong Kong's status as a gateway to a nearby economic giant that makes these kinds of promotions even more strategic:
MAYER: "That's the opportunity for us as we are looking to expand our reach into China is using Hong Kong as one of those key crossroads markets to showcase our products." :11
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ODA's Patrick Mayer also helped put the promotion together, as 15 Pacific Northwest companies participated in the three week event. Similar promotions in Hong Kong are expected in the future. In Salem, I'm Bruce Pokarney.
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MAYER says the immediate opportunity in Hong Kong is best suited for the retail market, and shoppers at Park n' Shop were able to get a taste of Oregon during the promotion:
"For things like fresh blueberries, Dungeness crab, wine- where we do have some retail products and some quality characteristics, things that we can differentiate our products on, that's where the opportunities are." :14
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WELKER says there was a lot of buildup in Hong Kong even prior to the three week Pacific Northwest promotion that helped drum up interest by consumers:
"They had a launch, PR, a lot of news media around it. Their executive chef did demonstrations, sampling. Then they did a number of direct mail pieces to their consumers. They did a money back leaflet to promote the products." :14
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Full story
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/100804hong_kong.shtml |
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