MACAU | RETAIL | Branded Products Fair brings tastes of Cantonese culture

The four-day Guangdong and Macau Branded Products Fair was livened up by mass consumers not long after opening yesterday, as families strolled among the booths and sampled ethnic foods that represent the Cantonese culture.
On the exhibition floor of Fisherman’s Wharf, a total of 289 booths are laid out by Macau and Guangdong enterprises that showcase a variety of local specialty products ranging from food products and household appliances, to souvenirs.
Displaying dried tangerine peel (known as “chenpi”) and refined herbal teas in bamboo-weaved trays, Mr Wu Diyuan told the Times that his hometown, Xinhui – today a district of Jiangmen city, exports more than 500 tons of chenpi and its byproducts each year with 2 percent of those exports coming into Macau.
“It’s used in traditional Chinese medicine and is a common seasoning in Cantonese cuisine,” introduced the manufacturer, adding that although his company hadn’t previously participated in any trade fairs in Macau, he was already seeing satisfying sales.
“I expect our presence at this fair will drive up our sales volume to Macau by 10 to 20 percent, because we can come into contact with more local dealers and buyers. And that is just a conservative expectation, considering our annual growth is up to 30 percent in the mainland markets,” he remarked.
Across the aisle, Mr Chen Yongde enthusiastically recommended his products of different-flavored peanuts to consumers as they flocked to the booth. “You can’t buy this elsewhere, we only export a small amount to Macau. Most of our customers are the folk chambers of commerce who use this to entertain guests,” he told the Times, adding that his sales volume at the fair reached over MOP50,000 in the past edition, nearly doubling the company’s annual export volume to Macau.
“The fair aims to build a good business platform by highlighting various branded products of good quality at competitive prices, enabling people to buy branded products from different places in Guangdong without travelling,” said the president of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Jackson Chang. “It not only provides tremendous business opportunities, but also showcases a wealth of cultural and entertaining elements,” he added.
“This event creates a convenient channel for Macau and overseas consumers and buyers to have a better understanding of Guangdong’s branded products,” also stated the Deputy Secretary General of Guangdong’s Provincial Government, Wu Ken, at the opening ceremony.
“We hope exhibitors are able to interact with a wide range of customers, explore new markets, improve the quality of the products, and strengthen the branding effects. Also that Macau residents and overseas buyers will have the opportunity to experience Cantonese culture and discover business opportunities,” he said.