Produce of Heaven
I, along with leading producers in the North West have joined forces to form the Produce of Heaven Program in February 2007. The Taskforce has been set up to take active steps to increase Tasmania’s export potential, particularly to the mainland and Asian markets.
The program is under the brand name ‘Produce of Heaven’ – which will be a banner that represent the fresh produce of Tasmania’s North West - the name was chosen as the area can boast the cleanest air, richest soil, and purest water – and the result is produce just as mother nature intended.
“Working together in this way has allowed us to join forces in creating a roadmap that can significantly change the way we market ourselves on the international stage,” said Mark Baker, originator of Produce of Heaven .
“We know our region is amongst the world’s best when it comes to quality fresh produce – now under the “Produce of Heaven” banner, we can actively market our region and drive for a greater share of the export market, particularly in Asia,” he added.
As the architect of Produce of Heaven, Mark Baker has created this taskforce after months of research and negotiations. This taskforce formation signals the first step in realising Mark’s vision for the area; that is for the North West to continually strive to be the best it can be with a balance between economic development, investment and great community environment.
The Produce of Heaven Campaign will operate by inviting overseas delegates to the North West, and by taking the North West to the World. This campaign has been the result of negotiations and relationship building which began in December 2005, when Mark Baker visited Taiwan and met with Taiwanese President Chen, to assist in successful negotiations which resulted in the reinstatment of Taiwan importing Tasmanian apples.
The relationship with Vietnam has also been fostered over time. The Vietnamese have been so impressed with the produce that a visit to the North West is now scheduled for March 2008, with officials looking for more produce to import to their homeland.
In 2007, to further drive Tasmania’s export potential, Mark Baker lead trade missions to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Macau who will again visit the North West throughout 2008 to take a first hand look at the quality of Tasmania’s fresh produce.
“These visits will give our Asian guests an insight into the quality and ability of Tasmanian businesses to meet their supply demands,” said Mark Baker.
“Asian markets are particularly interested in Tasmanian produce – they have an affinity with Tasmania, as like Tasmania, Hong Kong and Taiwan are “Islands off a Mainland”. They also know that Tasmania has been formally recognised as free from fruit fly and tobacco blue mould as well as a number of other pests and diseases.
“They recognise that Tasmania’s quality temperate-climate and its low levels of chemical residues make it competitive with the world’s best producers,” added Mark Baker.
“It’s not just the fresh produce industry who will benefit – as exposure in these Asian Countries can also lead to greater tourist numbers”.
“Such activity can also have a roll on effect on tourism, and I delighted to announce that we have successfully negotiated to have Taiwan’s leading holiday television program, visit the North West in 2008 - to look at the Tarkine, our beautiful coastal shoreline, and of course our wonderful fresh produce,” said Mark Baker.
Beyond hosting these official visits, the Produce of Heaven group also secured exhibition spaces at some of Asia’s biggest food expos – with the Taiwan International Food Show – June 19-21 2007 and the Hong Kong Food Expo from August 16-19 2007.
Both projects were tremendous success creating sales and employment growth for our local regional companies.
Local businesses are invited to be part of this program in 2008 as we continue to grow the Taiwan and Hong Kong Markets and enter the new markets of Dubai and India.
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