Theland growing together with import expo

Editor's Note: This year marks the 5th anniversary of the China International Import Expo. The CIIE Bureau and the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) launched the "My CIIE Story" activity on June 1 to invite people who are involved in the previous CIIEs to share their stories and have received a large number of warm responses so far.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the CIIE and also the fifth year that Theland has entered the Chinese market.

A New Zealand-based dairy products company, Theland has grown from a little known brand to an industry leader in China over the years. One in every three packs of ultra-heat treated milk exported from New Zealand to China is produced by our company.

Theland has participated in the CIIE since the inaugural edition in 2018. The expo has greatly improved the efficiency of our supply chains and facilitated trade. Due to logistics and customs procedures, it used to take eight days to transport fresh milk, which has a shelf life of only 15 days, from New Zealand to China. This long trip means that consumers lose out on freshness while our company loses out on market competitiveness.

But since Theland became one of the first companies to enjoy China's new customs inspection policies, our milk can now reach customers within 72 hours. This "CIIE speed" demonstrates China's determination to improve its business environment.

The expo has also helped us increase the efficiency of distribution channels and expand into China's fifth and sixth-tier cities. At the second CIIE, we clinched a cooperation deal with Beijing Wumart, a retail sales group, regarding our new pure milk which contains 4 grams of protein per 100 milliliters. Just three months later, the product appeared on the shelves of a local supermarket in Pingluo county in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Without the CIIE, the process would have taken three years.

Before the third CIIE opened, exhibitors related to the dairy industry, including Theland, formed a special committee under the CIIE Enterprise Alliance to provide more services to purchasers. We later found that consumers on different shopping platforms have different preferences, and quickly developed customized products for each of the platforms based on this finding. As a result, we have achieved cooperation with 52 major clients and more than 5,000 stores in 25 provinces in China.

We sell an average of 30,000 packs of milk every week in China. The highest we ever sold in a week was 80,000 packs - 26 times the figure before we participated in the CIIE.

In 2021, we worked with AsureQuality, a state-owned enterprise in New Zealand, to launch the world's first low-carbon grass-fed pure milk. Consumers can scan the QR code on the bottle to learn about the product's carbon footprint.

Theland will continue to participate in the following CIIEs. We are presently upgrading our farms, brands and products, and will debut new products, including pure milk with low-carbon plant-based packaging, at the fifth edition.

The CIIE builds a win-win cooperation platform for both exhibitors and purchasers. It showcases the resilience of the Chinese market and injects confidence into the world economy which is seemingly full of uncertainties partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The author has been the general manager of research and development at Theland Global since September 2012. He has been working in the dairy industry for more than 40 years and is highly experienced in international business development and marketing.

Five years on, share your CIIE stories with us

Over the past five years the China International Import Expo (CIIE) has gone from strength to strength, breaking new ground on every year it has been held. The CIIE has made landmark achievements in international procurement, investment promotion, cultural exchange and open cooperation.

The CIIE Bureau and the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) launched the "My CIIE Story" activity on June 1 to invite people who were involved in the previous CIIEs to share their stories. The activity has received a large number of warm responses so far and excellent works are being published in succession.

We look forward to more CIIE stories! Tell us about some of the unique experiences you've had at the CIIE over the past years, from meeting new clients and partners, to opening up new markets and networking opportunities. No matter who you are, be you exhibitor or buyer, or volunteer, you are welcome to tell your stories of the CIIE.

Languages for solicitation: Chinese, English and French

Solicitation time:

For written stories, from now to September 30, 2022

For video materials, from now to November 30, 2022

Collection method:

You can submit written stories, story outlines, graphics or video material demonstrating your personal feelings or those of your team in relation to the CIIE at an online platform.

Scan the QR code to submit your story.

You can also send your written stories to ciiestories@ciie.org with the subject line "My CIIE Story submission", or send videos to ciiestories2@ciie.org with the subject line "Video submission".

Any information you provide to the activity will be protected. Please see the notice on the official website of the CIIE for more details.