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products wholly Australian made. “As costs of meats and ingredients rise in Australia, it’s become harder for manufacturers to keep production here, and it limits the options for customers who demand Australian made,” he said. “Stores can overcome the decrease in available Australian-made frozen Asian meals by demanding only the finest quality Australian-made products from local manufacturers. By supporting local manufacturers, this in turn supports the local farmers and businesses that they buy from. “Easy Tiger products are all made in Melbourne, providing authentic Asian meals throughout Australia.” Oriental Merchant celebrates 30 years Oriental Merchant claims to have “pioneered” the launch of the Asian food section with leading supermarket chains in Victoria during the 1990s. “Today, \[the\] Asian food section can be found nationally in almost every major Australian supermarket, offering a more accessible Asian food experience to our Australian consumers,” Oriental Merchant Category Brand Manager Kim Lee said. In its 30th anniversary year, Oriental Merchant continues to hold the “major leading brands” in the category, she says, including Lee Kum Kee, Indomie, Kewpie, Obento and Valcom. “\[Oriental Merchant is a\] category leader in Asian food in grocery with 40 per cent market share \[Nielsen Scan Data, 2020\],” she said. The company believes its growth in the past 30 years will prove a “vital foundation” to the sharing of authentic Asian food culture to its global citizens. “In the coming years,” Ms Lee said, “we’ll remain committed to be your trustworthy Asian food specialist by bringing authentic Asian ingredients and major Asian branded products to Australia with authoritative and reliable education that unravels the mysteries of Asian cooking.” Ettason explores and evolves Ettason claims to be one of Australia’s “top leading” Asian food companies, specialising in imports, exports, distribution and manufacturing. Among the more than 3000 SKUs Ettason claims it handles across its distribution channels are those of several “exclusive” brands, such as Nongshim, Weilih, Knorr, Vita, Mama, Amoy, and Tsingtao. Ettason is, however, “constantly” considering further products for introduction into the company’s Asian category. “Asian food trends, Asian grocers’ popular SKUs, restaurant flavour trends, etc, all play a part in determining the new product introduction to the retailers,” Ettason’s Mr Li said, adding that the company investigates the potential and viability with retailers of other SKUs, particularly those that are popular and successful locally in their Asian countries of origin. When it comes to advertising, Ettason’s strategy is to use a balanced mix of ATL and BTL promotional activities. “Having to deal across multiple channels (local and ethnic), we use a wide variety of advertising vehicles to target the appropriate demographics,” Mr Li said. “We balance our communications between print (both English and Chinese) and social media (Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, etc). “Retailer-specific vehicles also form a key communications vehicle – for example, retailer magazines running in conjunction with direct in-store activities such as price promos, off-location displays, catalogues, demonstrations, etc.” On the topic of supporting retailers, Mr Li suggests shelf-ready cartons can provide stores with ease of stocking while creating a cleaner, tidier on-shelf appearance. “Ettason works closely with the suppliers to develop attractive and clear Westernised product labels for easy product communication, \[which\] helps in creating consumer awareness and attracting product trials and purchase,” he said. Looking ahead, Ettason has two key imperatives for maintaining growth. “\[We will\] continue to work on our exclusive brands to reinforce and invest in their consumer branding presence,” Mr Li said. “\[Secondly, we will\] identify successful products from other markets and channels for new product launches into supermarkets.” Berconia Foods keeps on top of trends Since 2005, Berconia Foods has specialised in Asian food and beverages from ambient to frozen and chilled. It distributes Asian brands such as PalDo, Prima Taste, Pulmuone, Sau Tao and Ya-coya among retailers including Coles, Woolworths and Costco. Much of Berconia Foods’ marketing funds, according to Marketing Manager Pauline Zhang, is directed to the consumer, informing about the availability of its ranges through major grocery outlets. “Social media has \[also\] become a major driver for communicating our message,” she said. Looking to the future, Ms Zhang added: “We’re working continuously with our suppliers to develop new products to keep up with the market trends, as well as launching trending products through our network of brand owners. “We’ll continue to launch and promote our brands at events, and through online media and in-store sampling, etc. It’s imperative that we market to both our retailers and end consumers.” INTERNATIONAL FOOD AUG, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 47