IPIM’s ‘One-stop Service’ for Investors gives new ventures a leg-up (Hong Kin Food Factory)

Hong Kin Food Factory is a food business in Macao. The company opened its factory in 2017, and its products are proudly made in Macao but principally for export. Mr Chen Hua Rui, General Manager of Hong Kin Food Factory, said: “We mainly produce concentrated drinks and syrups, then export to Hong Kong and Mainland China.”

Mr Chen once worked for a Hong Kong company that did business in Mainland China, so he understood what logistical and customs advantages a food factory in Macao would have in exporting to Hong Kong and Mainland China.

“One more advantage of setting up the factory in Macao that we took into consideration,” Mr Chen said. “From Macao, it is relatively convenient to export to Hong Kong, meaning we do not need a huge amount of storage space. All we need is a place to put the machines. This, to us, is a great benefit in terms of the space needed.”

When Mr Chen was introduced to the IPIM’s “One-stop Service” for Investors, he discovered that using the service meant setting up a food factory in Macao isn’t complicated. “The whole process did not take very long,” he said. Once the company had chosen a suitable location for its factory, it had to make the necessary applications, fit out the premises, undergo the necessary inspections and assessments, and obtain all the permission and licenses required before starting up the factory. “It took around six months,” Mr Chen said.

To begin with, sales in Hong Kong and Mainland China were what Mr Chen describes as decent. Working in Mainland China had put him in contact with potential customers for exporting products made in Macao. He said Hong Kin Food Factory exhibited at trade events and had encountered plenty of retailers at the shows, but it had not yet found the right channels for wholesaling.

Now Hong Kin Food Factory detects signs of saturation in major markets. “Our major products – watercress with honey and chrysanthemum tea with honey – are popular only in Hong Kong and Macao, so we are planning to develop other kinds of drink syrups, as well as syrups for cocktails,” Mr Chen said.

Mr Chen said Hong Kin Food Factory would continue to develop a greater variety of products and exhibit at trade shows to find the best way to promote its products among people in Macao and further afield.

“Our major products – watercress with honey and chrysanthemum tea with honey – are popular only in Hong Kong and Macao, so we are planning to develop other kinds of drink syrups, as well as syrups for cocktails.” Mr Chen Hua Rui, General Manager of Hong Kin Food Factory

Hong Kin Food Factory opened its factory in 2017