BanaBay starts operations in China
BanaBay is going from strength to strength, broadening its international portfolio by opening operations in Shanghai and forging deals elsewhere in the Asian market. The fresh fruit producer and distributor is on the verge of developing the 'huge market potential' for the BanaBay brand across Asia just a few weeks after announcing a major deal in the Middle East, venturing into the U.K. organic banana market in July and adding pineapples to its tropical fruit range back in April.
"Within the last twelve months we have secured five significant customers across six new ports in China and expect to be shipping 150 containers of bananas a week by the end of next year," BanaBay managing director Mark O'Sullivan said in a release.
"What’s more, we have exciting plans to extend our product range and will be introducing new lines to meet rising demand.
"Therefore, we are delighted to announce the opening of a dedicated BanaBay office in Shanghai, enabling us to provide our valued customers with a direct contact, strategically based at the port, with an operations manager who understands the local marketplace and can respond immediately and effectively to all requirements."
The new appointment is David Guo (Guo Sihao), a former client manager with the Bank of Shanghai, who has a strong background and in-depth understanding of the Chinese business environment, according to the release.
"BanaBay has a great competitive advantage in that we have our own banana plantation in Ecuador and enjoy close relationships with other independently audited sources in a variety of different countries; this means we can guarantee the quality of our produce and the reliability of our supply chain," he said.
"Now that we are opening an office in Shanghai, our target is the Chinese high-end market. Once we have established a strong presence here, our ambition is to expand operations to Japan, Korea and Singapore."