Rivoira, RK Growers and VI.P Val Venosta groups signed a joint venture agreement for the exclusive and joint management of the Asian markets (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea and Japan) last Friday, June 22nd.
The collaboration between the three companies, primarily focused on the development of the Ambrosia ™ variety, is enriched by a further step, with the aim of expanding the pumice market in the aforementioned countries of the Asian continent and of addressing the commercial expansion together, given the strong interest in the new varieties that are already evident in this area today.
The new reality will start operating with the 2018/19 season and will be formally presented to the operators at the next edition of Asia Fruit Logistica (Hong Kong, 5-7 September 2018), when the name and representatives of the joint venture will be unveiled and they will detail range and products available.
This joint venture creates a new player in the Asian market and allows to coordinate the business plans of the partner companies, relying on the one hand to the members' apple production (Rivoira and VI.P Val Venosta) and on the other to the sourcing capacity and commercial presence of RK Growers. A reality that starts from apples but is not limited to them, with the aim of providing a full range of fresh fruit and vegetables. The first office of reference of the joint venture will be in Hong Kong, through RKG Asia Ltd, directed by Kevin Au Yeung, who will follow the main customers through a direct contact on site, by coordinating their needs with the commercial campaigns of the partners , which will supply the target markets exclusively through the joint venture, with strategies shared between the founding companies.
“This is a necessary evolution -said Marco Rivoira, executive manager of the Group- and this type of aggregation allows us to get farther and with more strenght, with a whole range of interesting products for importers and chains of the distribution". Paolo Carissimo, President of RK Growers, adds: "We have always focused on international development by opening the first office in Asia, and today we expect strong developments thanks to the progressive opening of new markets".
Josef Wielander, Director of VI.P Val Venosta, concludes by reiterating that “the development of new varieties is rapidly expanding our range and allows us to progressively supply new customers; with this partnership we take an important step towards a more strategic commitment, which joins the work already carried out with the FROM partners in the area of the Indian subcontinent and we are sure it will ensure the results expected by our members”.
