Long Tin Managing Director Alan Mok

Ensuring your enterprise remains successful while adapting to the fiercely competitive business environment today may be just as challenging as gaining a foothold in a new market. A Macao producer of roasted and cured meat, Long Tin Roast and Preserves, has come a long way in building up its business – and the key to the sustainability of its business is innovative thinking.

Long Tin was established in the 1960s. The founder of the family business started trading in the vicinity of the Red Market, his products complementing the merchandise of the wholesalers of fresh meat there.

A steady supply of fresh meat and sturdy business methods earned Long Tin a lasting reputation for the quality of its products. Long Tin products have remained popular with subsequent generations. Its most sought-after products include pork and premium soy sauce Chinese sausages; pork and Tianjin julep Chinese sausages; and duck liver Chinese sausages.

Long Tin Managing Director Alan Mok, the heir to the family business, is determined to widen its range of products with new creations and new flavours. Standard traditional Cantonese preserved sausages are usually filled with pork and fat. Mr Mok says Long Tin offers its customers a wide variety to choose from.

Over the years, the maker has developed new products based on original recipes, and introduced preserved sausages with novel flavours. For instance, Long Tin swallow’s nest and pork Chinese sausages and Long Tin extra-lean pork Chinese sausages are products popular among the elderly and women, Mr Mok says.

Expansion plans

Long Tin sells Cantonese preserved sausages with new flavours

Mr Mok says Long Tin is making steady progress by taking a more modern approach to its business. He says new projects are in the pipeline. “Our next move in the retail market will be to launch our preserved meat products in all the main local supermarket chains by the end of this year,” he says. “We are working with various parties, and we hope the launch will have a positive impact on our business.”

In addition to making easier for the public to buy Long Tin products in supermarket chains, the company is also considering opening an outlet for its products in Taipa, and is renovating one of its shops in the Red Market area.

Modern consumers have greater purchasing power than their predecessors, but are more cautious about whether the food they buy is safe to eat. “We understand that customers nowadays have higher standards for food quality and Long Tin products have always been produced in a very hygienic environment in our own factory in Macao,” Mr Mok says. “To certify our products, we are currently undertaking the process of applying for ISO certification. We hope this quality assurance will increase the trust our customers have in us and so pave the way for us to expand the business.”

Over the years, many traditional shops and enterprises have died out. But Long Tin, Mr Mok says, has grown because of its innovative approach to doing business. “We take pride in being a local company with more than 50 years of history and we look forward to developing our brand as a symbol of local gourmet food that can represent Macao on the international stage,” he says.

The company is considering opening an outlet for its products on Taipa