Fresh lettuce hits the shelves in China

Chinese salad producer AquaGreen Holdings Ltd., headquartered in Hong Kong, has been establishing a strong relationship with Dutch seed producer Rijk Zwaan to buy seeds for its Huidong salad production. AquaGreen Holdings Ltd. is growing different varieties of salads hydroponically in greenhouses in Southern China, near Shenzhen. The company is profiting from the demand for safe, controlled, fresh produce, as well as the expanding tastes of the Chinese consumer.

The team of AquaGreen during a visit of the Dutch Consul

“We started negotiations with supermarkets at some point last year to sell our fresh salads to a wider audience. From the start, we realised we held a competitive advantage. There are not many hydroponic competitors on the market whose scale can compare to ours in the region. Also compared to overseas imported crops, we have an advantage. We grow and supply locally, albeit it using imported technology and seeds. As such, consumers can enjoy fresher and tastier products from us as we are very near our clients, and transport time is short,” according to Chris Kei, COO of AquaGreen Holdings Ltd.

“Introducing salads, or raw salads, will take some time on the China market. The majority of Chinese consumers do not eat produce raw. However, in first and second tier cities, such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Southern China, this trend is upwards. We are also informing consumers in supermarkets by tastings, and we have published a number of recipes that explain, apart from enjoying raw salads, our products can also be put in warm water for a couple of seconds or briefly steamed – similar to the traditional way of vegetable consumption in China, if they like.”

Young salad plants

Baby lettuce being planted

“Even though China’s import of fresh fruits and vegetables are rising, we do not see a problem selling our domestically produced crops. Still the majority of products sold at international retailers, such as Sam’s Club or Walmart, are produced locally. In addition, by growing hydroponically we have the advantage that we can prove that we can completely control our production. Our angle is that we benefit from our location, which is close to our customers, but it's produced by using imported technology and imported seeds under the management of a team of Hong Kong professionals.”

“At the moment we are supplying Japanese supermarket chain AEON in Hong Kong, ParknShop, Vanguard, Yata, a number of Hong Kong local supermarkets, large hotel chains such as the Grand Hyatt and Disney Land Hong Kong. In China, we are currently in the process of listing in Sam’s Club and Walmart targeting to start supplying them in August. Ole – the premium line of Vanguard - is also requesting us to supply them and hopefully will be there in August too”

For more information:
Chris Kei
AquaGreen Holdings Ltd.
Tel: +852 3585 7138
Fax (852) 3585 7412
Email: chris.kei@aquagreenvalley.com