The enthusiastic team of ALSCO with the company's purple crates in the background. Front: Tony Sun, the General Manager. Bckack from left to right are Guan Yi, Ning Xin Cong, Xu Jian Hua, Pang Cun Yu, Li Mei Hua, Mina, Yang Xue, Zhuo Guang and Song Ji Hua. The company is investing in cold chain logistic technology for the Chinese fresh produce and flower market.
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The Chinese fresh product market is developing fast. Investments are being made in cold chain logistics and storage solutions, albeit from a low base. China's fruit imports are increasing and retail sales are growing. Retail has moved almost entirely online in the big cities on the East coast. iFresh provides a platform to understand the latest developments in the industry and to get to know some of the key players. Exhibitors ranged from fruit importers and exporters, to growers, machine builders, technology providers, and (online) retailers. A number of international companies were present too, with or without trade offices in China.
The iFresh Expo is a good representation of the Chinese fresh fruit industry: compared to last year, this year's edition has almost doubled in size. It provides a good opportunity for foreign investors to explore the Chinese market. The organisation itself is bilingual and provides support to both exhibitors and visitors. This eases communication and is a big plus for visitors that that speak little Chinese and do not know their way around Wechat or other Chinese communication channels.
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Egypt and Spain were the best represented foreign export markets. Both countries can export citrus to China and a number of Egyptian and Spanish producers attended the exhibition. Chinese importers typically look for producers, not trading companies, but do not necessarily have contacts established in export markets. As such presence at iFresh in Shanghai can facilitate future trade.
No official data on visitor numbers has been published yet.