Thailand’s Asian Group (Asian Group), which has been reported by pet industry experts, has made new moves in China’s pet market – a self-built team introduced its own brand monchou (Chinese name: Muans) into the Chinese market, and Acquired a pet food factory in Shandong - Shandong Taiyameisi Pet Food Co., Ltd.

According to previous reports, Thai Asia Group has been established for more than 40 years. Its product lines mainly include frozen seafood food, feed and pet food, serving consumers all over the world. The parent company, Asia Group Refrigeration Co., Ltd., was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 1994 (Thailand Main Board listed company stock code: ASIAN). The latest financial report data shows that the company's overall revenue in 2018 reached 2.1 billion yuan.

At the Asia Pet Exhibition held in August this year, van Westendorp Hendrikus (hereinafter referred to as "Rik"), chief financial officer of Thailand Asia Group, accepted an exclusive interview with pet industry experts.

Rik, CFO of Thailand Asia Group, accepted an on-site interview with pet industry experts

Rik introduced that from 2012 to now, the overall pet market in Thailand has maintained an annual growth rate of 25%. The annual growth in consumption is close to 54%. The company paid attention to this industry from the explosion of Thailand's pet market to predicting the future development potential of the global pet market, so it decided to officially enter the pet market in 2013.

Facts have proved that Rik made the right choice when he chose to enter the pet market. According to the financial statements released by Thailand Asia Group in 2016, the company maintained a rapid growth of 16% in 2016, with sales of 9.2 billion baht (approximately 2.15 billion yuan) and profit of 155 million baht (approximately 36.24 million yuan). Among them, the sales contribution of the pet food business, which has been developed for three years, increased from zero to approximately 320 million yuan.

It is worth mentioning that Asian Alliance International Co.Ltd, its wholly-owned subsidiary responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of tuna products, is also responsible for OEM processing and export business for human and pet food. Several major pet foods in the world Brands including American Rachael Ray Nutrish, British Applaws and Japanese Aixia have become its customers.

With the rapid growth of the pet business, Thai Asia Group regards "pet food" as an equally important new growth point as its main business aquatic products. In addition to the global OEM business, it also tries to use its own Brands enter the consumer market closer to users. Therefore, in 2018, he created his own brand monchou (Chinese name: Monchou) in Thailand.

Rik introduced that "monchou" means "dear" in French, which means the close relationship between parents and their pets and their willingness to "give their pets the best choice." As for the interpretation of the monchou brand, he said: "monchou uses fresh raw materials, formulas developed with professional knowledge in the production of human and pet food, and experience in formulating delicious human food to make natural, nutritionally balanced and delicious pet food for pets. . At the same time, we also insist that all products are produced and supplied by our own factories, and the production workshops comply with strict internationally recognized quality control standards.”

Since last year, Thailand Asia Group Co., Ltd. Then we set our sights on the Chinese market. "China is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world for pet food. The market is huge and the competition is fierce. I often tell my colleagues that if we can gain a place in China, then we can win in any country in the world. It can be done better," Rik said.

To this end, they established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Taiya Food (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., in Shanghai in August 2018, paving the way for the sales of their own brand monchou in the Chinese market.

Rik said that because the intensity of competition and consumption behavior in the Chinese consumer market are different from those in Thailand, the company is actively conducting local market research in the early stage to understand the consumption habits of Chinese pet owners, and at the same time, it chooses products that match local advantages. Partners establish cooperation, enter through offline channels, and enter stores through the establishment of a national dealer system, hoping to make more pet owners aware of monchou. As a result, the company established a Chinese team of nearly 50 people and established two major regions in Guangdong and Shandong. In order to better develop the Chinese market, we will continue to expand the team size in the future, and it is estimated that the number of team members will double again next year.

Rik told pet industry experts that the reason why Monchou products are confident in entering the Chinese market is because the company has the following competitive advantages:

First, the raw materials use natural ingredients. Monchou brand products have always used traceable fisheries, sustainably farmed seafood and safe poultry farms as raw material sources. According to reports, the tuna used in the product complies with the principles of sustainable fishing and has passed the American Dolphin Safety Certification. The ingredients used are all human food-grade requirements, and they promise not to use poultry by-products or scraps; and the added agricultural products have also been BAP and MSC certified. .

Second, investment in product research and development capabilities. Monchou products are developed by a R&D team of more than 40 food scientists and nutritionists;

Third, safety. Monchou has internationally certified quality standards and quality control specifications, and has passed HACCP, BMP, BRC and other qualification certifications. At the same time, considering that grains can easily cause gastrointestinal allergies in pets, monchou has also prepared a grain-free series for pet parents to choose from;

Fourth, delicious. Monchou has more than 1,500 pet formula recipes to prepare various flavors that suit pets’ preferences. In the future, it also plans to establish cooperation with a famous French chef in Bangkok to create a new "French gourmet" series of products for pets.

Of course, it is precisely because of the above four competitive advantages, as well as the group's own professional technology and advantages in producing human food, that it has helped it become one of Thailand's top three high-quality pet wet food export manufacturers.

According to reports, monchou products currently entering the Chinese market include dry food and canned food. The dry food products are divided into cat and dog models, with 4 SKUs for dogs and 5 SKUs for cats. The ingredients are based on various deep-sea fish and chicken. Mainly, it is divided into two series: freeze-dried and grain-free formulas, containing about 80% animal protein, and added probiotics & lecithin. The canned products are also available for dogs and cats, with 6 SKUs each.

In addition to its own brand business, Thai Asia Group can also undertake OEM business for domestic enterprises. Rik said: "Currently, many Chinese brands choose Taican, but many brands still find it troublesome. Based on this, we found that in addition to focusing on quality, Chinese brands are most concerned about the process from the beginning of cooperation with us to the delivery of finished products. The domestic delivery cycle and what they need to do are not troublesome. "According to him, the company can provide one-stop services for OEM customers, from production, packaging, to customs clearance, logistics and transportation, the entire delivery cycle can be done. Control for about 4 weeks.

At the same time, pet industry experts also learned that Thai Asia Group also fully acquired a Shandong pet food factory this year - Shandong Taiyameisi Pet Food Co., Ltd., a pet food production company in Shandong. factory. Regarding this acquisition, Rik said that he hopes to convey three messages to the Chinese pet market:

First, to better bring Monchou’s product formula to China for production and use;

The second is to express the company's emphasis and determination on the Chinese market;

The third is to set a development goal here: within five years, monchou will continue to increase investment and create a Becoming one of the top five imported high-quality brands in China.

Finally, Rik also pointed out that the pet industry is currently developing in two directions: high-end and human food level. More and more pet owners regard their pets as their own children and are willing to give them The best product and service experience for furry kids. In the future, monchou's development positioning will take these two trends into consideration and try to launch humanized food recipes to meet the specific nutritional needs of pets.