The Administration of Commerce, MOEA(hereinafter referred to as AOC), hosted the "2023 Taiwan Gourmet Online Business Matching" on October 26. It invited 13 foreign buyers from eight countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, to one-on-one matchmaking with 28 renowned Taiwanese catering brands. This event aimed to create excellent opportunities for collaboration.
To assist Taiwanese cuisine in expanding its presence overseas, AOC identified gourmet foods with export potential through the "Gourmet Taiwan Selection," "Product Development and Channel Expansion Counseling," and "Product Selection Event" mechanisms. It guided Taiwanese restaurateurs in market assessment, product development, packaging design, trial production testing, trademark registration, customs clearance, warehousing, logistics coordination, and channel planning. Before the event, product samples were sent to potential overseas buyers for firsthand tasting. Additionally, pre-event coaching was offered to strengthen negotiation skills, enhancing the success rate of business matching.
The AOC noted that this year's "Product Selection Event" led to four catering suppliers signing MOUs with trade companies. These agreements include "Mama Yang's Little Eatery," with over 30 years of history, collaborating with Alien La Vie to place exquisite "Ah-Gei" gift sets in the iTaiwan Foods supermarket for sale in the United States. "Xu Tai Shan," one of Kaohsiung's top 100 traditional delicacy restaurants, was set to work with HARVEST to sell specialty hot pot combo packs in Hong Kong supermarkets and e-commerce platforms. The popular "ZHENG JIAN KANG International Food & Beverage," with annual sales exceeding tens of millions, partnered with Haixu International to promote specialty cuisine to Australian consumers. The renowned "Chef Teng Restaurant" in Kaohsiung, which has 35 years of history, joined forces with Han Dian to place imperial desserts on the shelves of British supermarkets. Ms.Wenling Su,the Director General of AOC, said that it is believed that after today's business matching event, more positive outcomes will be achieved, leading to more collaborative projects and the exportation of Taiwanese cuisine to overseas markets.
Furthermore, the AOC, in partnership with the U.S. H MART supermarket, organized the "2023 Taiwan Food Festival" under the theme "The Happiness You Can Taste" from October 13 to November 24. This event featured products such as seafood porridge, squid rice noodles, Taiwanese fish soup, sweet potato balls, sesame glutinous rice balls, plum juice from vendors like Chef Teng Restaurant, J&G Fried Chicken, Guan Pei Red Bean Cake, and Old Sichuan, available in at least 20 stores on the East and West coasts of the United States. This initiative not only allows Taiwanese expatriates to alleviate their homesickness but also enables more overseas consumers to savor the delicious flavors of Taiwanese cuisine.
With international opportunities in the food and beverage sector regaining momentum, Taiwanese cuisine has emerged as a focal point in global culinary culture. Catering companies are proactively revisiting their overseas expansion plans, and the Administration of Commerce is committed to allocating additional resources to assist Taiwanese catering companies in the development of new products and the exploration of international markets, ultimately capitalizing on extensive overseas business opportunities.
Spokesperson: Ms. Ya-Chuan Liu, Deputy Director General
Phone: 02-2343-3300 Ext. 7002
Email: ycliu@aoc.gov.tw
Business contact: Mr. Chun-Liang Chien, Section Chief
Phone: 02-2343-3300 Ext. 7441
Email: clchien@aoc.gov.tw
