Chef's Garden bears fruit (hktdc.com)


	Deliveries seven days a week – twice daily if necessary – are part of the Chef's Garden customer service strategy

Hong Kong has demonstrated a hearty appetite for produce from Australia's market gardens, farms and oceans, presenting a lucrative opportunity for food importer Chef's Garden Ltd

Established in 2003, the business was the brainchild of directors Paul Daley, of Wales, and Victoria Chick, an Australian. It evolved as the pair were co-sharing an office in Hong Kong – Mr Daley operating in Chef's Garden, which he started in 2000 to supply restaurants with fresh fruit and vegetables sourced locally; and Ms Chick running the Hong Kong arm of Intanat Aust (Pty Ltd), an Australian export food business started by her father in 1977.

"I needed somewhere to locate my two staff on the ground in Hong Kong, and Paul had space in his office," Ms Chick explained. "We just clicked, and could see an opportunity to grow the business."

Growth strategy

Their idea worked, and within four years, the newly formed Chef's Garden Ltd, which started as "three of us and a battered van", had grown to an enterprise involving 65 staff, eight refrigerated delivery trucks, chillers, freezers and an ambient warehouse. Having now opened a second outlet, Chef's Garden Macau, the company is forging head with its growth strategy.

Today, Chef's Garden is firmly positioned as a major supplier to Hong Kong supermarkets, hotels and restaurants. Its 400-plus active accounts include all the major supermarkets – CitySuper, Great, Park'n'Shop, Wellcome, Jusco and Sogo -, leading hotels including Le Meridian, The Landmark, the Mandarin Oriental and Jia, and a wide range of restaurants.

The company's extensive product range includes fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood, dairy and gourmet products. In addition to Australian produce, Chef's Garden also imports and distributes food items from Thailand, the US, Europe and the Chinese mainland. Many clients "still want their food from Australia" because of health concerns, and "we also ship a large amount of organic produce to meet an increasing demand for this in Hong Kong".

Strong market

Ms Chick says Hong Kong provides a strong market for the Chef's Garden brand, due to its cultural mix of Chinese and Westerners and an entrenched fine dining culture. Its business-friendly environment is also conducive to growing the company, she added.

"It's easy to get things done in Hong Kong, and our staff are hard-working and dependable. Although Hong Kong has returned to China remnants of the British system are still in place and provide a sound and reliable business infrastructure, so you're working in familiar territory."

The company's key strategy is customer service. "We run 24-hour shifts, seven days a week, and if we need to do a second delivery in a day for a customer, we can do it," Ms Chick said. "Through this (service), business has grown rapidly, and it's mainly by word of mouth."

Ripe for success

Looking ahead, the company has focused its growth trajectory at Macau where the casino and entertainment industry is creating strong demand. It will maintain a commitment to excellence which last year won Chef's Garden the 2006 AustCham-ANZ Austrade Business Promotion Award.

But as this Garden flourishes, its headquarters will remain in Hong Kong, which is a proven success formula, Ms Chick said.