Matrade Urges Coffee Exporters To Develop Own Brands

From Ng Che Yean KUNMING (China), June 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysian white coffee exporters are urged to build and develop their brand characteristics to maintain their market share in China. Director of Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) Chengdu Representative Office, Chong Yun Jang, said Malaysia, as the origin country of white coffee, is currently facing competition in China and against well-known brands such as Nestle. He said Malaysia's brands were lacking brand characteristics even though white coffee has been introduced to the Chinese market since eight years ago. "Chinese consumers know Malaysia's white coffee, but no specific brand comes first in their minds when thinking of the popular drink," Chong told Bernama when met at the Matrade booth during the Third China-South Asia Expo. The five-day expo, aimed at boosting cooperation and development of the region, kicked off Friday in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. A delegation of 56 Malaysian exhibitors led by Malaysia Promas International Business Society (Promas) and ES Event Management Sdn Bhd are participating in the expo. More than 30 brands of white coffee are featured in the expo and are among the 104 Malaysian booths taking part in the event. Malaysia Promas International Business Society (Promas) Deputy President Raymond YK Liew also concurred that white coffee exporters needed to develop the brand characteristics and improve the quality of their products. Liew, who is also a manufacturer of white coffee, told Bernama that there were many brands of white coffee in the Chinese market, however, they lacked quality control. He said his company controlled the quality of its 'Liew’s Café' brand by maintaining the original taste of white coffee. The company was looking for potential agents and planned to open franchise restaurants in China in the future in order to expand the business, he added. Matrade is the Malaysia's national trade promotion agency. --BERNAMA