Danish processed pork allowed on Chinese market

For almost 10 years, Tulip Food had been ready to export its products to China, but only this February all the details have fallen into place, the company wrote in a press release.

Sausages, salami and canned products

Initially, it will be possible to export 3 categories, Danish Crown writes. Sausages and salami/pepperoni from the Svenstrup factory and canned products from the factory in Vejle. All can now be exported and sold to both the retail trade, online and to the foodservice sector in China.

For Danish Crown, access to the Chinese market means that it will now be possible to get closer both to the retail trade and to the foodservice wholesalers, even before the company’s own factory near Shanghai is completed in 2019.

In terms of fresh pork, Danish Crown already is selling large volumes to China, press agency Reuters reminded, accounting for about 5% of its sales.

Exports of heat-treated pork from Denmark

Jais Valeur, group CEO for Danish Crown said, “In my opinion, the Danish Crown Group will soon have an almost ideal set-up in China. Extensive and well-established exports of fresh pork from Denmark will now be boosted by heat-treated products such as sausages and canned products. This will soon be complemented with local production based on Danish raw materials, which will put us in an extremely strong position in what in the space of just a few years has become one of Danish Crown’s most important markets.”

Speaking of a ‘breakthrough for Danish food exports, Tulip Food CEO Kasper Lenbroch said, that he expected the 1st container to be shipped off within the next few weeks.

He added, “For sausages and canned products alone, we see potential exports from Denmark of DKK 250 million (€ 33.6 million) a year. It’ll take a few years to build to this level, but Danish pork already enjoys a strong position in China, so we’re hardly starting from scratch.”

Strategy to focus on pork in China

Access to the Chinese market ties in perfectly with Tulip’s and the Danish Crown’s strategy which, in addition to focusing on the domestic markets in Northern Europe, includes plans for growth in Asia with our own factory in China as well as various global initiatives involving, for example, canned products and pepperoni.

Tulip Food has a classic Danish hot-dog stand at the Danish embassy in Beijing and an office in China. In addition, the company has for several years been present at major Chinese food fairs, so that both distributors and customers are aware of Danish meat products.