Joe Kouwenhoven has been working in the seafood industry since he was six years old, serving behind the counter at his father’s fish shop. Keeping the customers happy was his focus then, as it still is today, but on a much larger scale. In March 2000, Kouwenhoven founded Future Cuisine (FCL), an Auckland based privately owned seafood manufacturer and trader. Its product range includes live and smoked mussel products, as well as frozen half-shell mussels, mussel meat, marinated mussels, smoked salmon, tuatua, paua, oysters and crayfish. FCL operates joint ventures and has agreements with New Zealand’s largest seafood companies, Sanford and Sealord, as well as Independent Fishers, Tallies and United Fisheries. Its focus on the local market saw Future Cuisine become the largest supplier of live mussels to New Zealand supermarkets, a total of around 1500 tonnes a year. But as loyalty from local clients waned, Kouwenhoven was forced to look to overseas markets to offset the business lost here. 36 JULY 2016 China beckons A mere two years ago, 95% of FCL’s seafood sales were local. But today, exports account for 49% of the company’s sales. Future Cuisine sends its products into many markets, but Kouwenhoven saw the value of investing in a dedicated facility in China. While New Zealanders are used to paying around $4 a kilo for live mussels, the Chinese are prepared to pay significantly more for quality seafood. It’s a rapidly growing market, but one that’s difficult to enter efficiently and effectively. In an environment where family is everything, Kouwenhoven has proven his commitment. Married to a Chinese woman, he has strong family ties in the country. “China is huge, but industries still have key players just like anywhere else and you need to understand the business culture and who you’re dealing with,” he explains. “We did a massive amount of research, both from here and on the ground before we moved into China. Local knowledge is vital and if you’re a foreign company you can get taken to the cleaners if you’re not smart. C A S E S T U D Y FRESH TO MARKET New Zealand seafood has a global reputation for quality, taste and freshness. Future Cuisine is gaining a foothold in China, where its products are in demand by discerning consumers prepared to pay for shellfish stamped with the silver fern. “I’ve been successful there because I’ve personally invested in China, both from a business and a family perspective. I know what’s appropriate and respectful, and what’s not.” Technology trumps distance Just over two years ago, FCL began selling live retort-packaged mussels through a distributor in Guangzhou. From harvest to delivery took just 40 hours – quicker than sending product to the South Island. However, sales were far from spectacular and Kouwenhoven felt his distributor was charging too much. He decided to go direct and Future Cuisine has now set up its own live facility in Shanghai as a distribution platform for China and beyond. “Our live tanking system up there is brilliant,” he says. “It replicates the conditions we have in New Zealand, which
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