African Coffee And Wine Producers Reach Deep Into The Heart Of China
African coffee producers from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, as well as South African wineries, exhibited their brands to over 50 pre-selected Chinese importers gathered at the Hunan International Conference and Exhibition Centre in Changsha, China for Standard Bank’s second Africa-China export matchmaking session for 2022.
Organised by the Hunan Department of Commerce in partnership with Standard Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), these hybrid virtual-physical export promotion events “represent a signature capability in Standard Bank’s broader Africa-China Trade Solution, connecting African producers directly to the heart of China’s booming domestic consumer market,” says Philip Myburgh, Head of Trade for Standard Bank’s Business and Commercial Clients division.
Since the July Africa-China coffee and wine matchmaking session was a part of the Hunan Cross-border E-commerce Trade Fair, “our African exporters were also exposed to other Chinese exhibitors seeking to expand and scale their e-commerce and digital trade platforms,” Myburgh added.
As China’s consumer behavior evolves, coffee and wine consumption is exploding, fueled by an increasingly discerning domestic market in search of quality and value from the world’s best brands.
Connecting African coffee and wine producers directly with Chinese importers not only improves profit margins for Africa’s exporters, but also enables them to establish independent, globally recognized brands. “Most importantly, the blended virtual-physical nature of these matchmaking events enables African producers and exporters to deal directly with accredited Chinese importers from the comfort of their own offices, farms, or homes, without having to travel to China, arrange visas, find lodging, or run the risk of not finding quality buyers,” says Myburgh.
