New Zealand's largest dairy exporter, Fonterra Cooperative Group, unveiled an application center in Shenzhen yesterday, as it hopes to work closely with beverage customers from Shenzhen, the birthplace of several best-selling beverage brands in China.

The Shenzhen facility, located at UpperHills in Futian District, is Fonterra’s fifth in China and the second in the Pearl River Delta region with a focus on beverage applications.

Teh-han Chow (2nd R), CEO of Fonterra’s Greater China division, and Rachel Crump (3rd R), consul general of New Zealand in Guangzhou, witness the opening of Fonterra’s new application center in Shenzhen at a ceremony yesterday. Zhang Yu

“This new center will focus on innovation in beverage categories. It will bring Fonterra closer to the frontline market and enable us to better understand evolving consumers needs, and to promote the growth of Fonterra’s beverage business,” said Teh-han Chow, CEO of Fonterra’s Greater China division.

Teh-han Chow (R), CEO of Fonterra's Greater China division, delivers a speech at the ceremony yesterday.

“At Fonterra, we believe in constantly innovating in order to better serve the local markets. That’s why we are thrilled to establish our fifth application center in this dynamic city of Shenzhen,” Chow added.

According to Chow, Shenzhen has a young population, an innovative environment and is a great location for ideas to flourish. “The spirit of innovation is also a core value of our application center. We are confident that by combining Shenzhen’s innovative nature with our application center approach, we can expect outstanding outcomes.”

Rachel Crump, consul general of New Zealand in Guangzhou, speaks at the ceremony yesterday. 

Rachel Crump, consul general of New Zealand in Guangzhou, also attended the opening ceremony of Fonterra’s Shenzhen Application Center.

“China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner, and bilateral trade and commerce benefit both countries. We are pleased to see New Zealand companies, such as Fonterra, further developing their business in China to deliver high-quality ingredients and products to the market,” Crump said.

According to Crump, Shenzhen has a sound business environment and an advanced market, where the diversity of needs from sophisticated customers can be met by New Zealand’s producers and exporters.

“I think the future is very bright for the trade relationship between Shenzhen and New Zealand,” Crump added.

Guests and Fonterra executives cut the ribbon at the ceremony yesterday.

Equipped with advanced equipment, experienced technical experts and professional chefs, the Fonterra Application Center in Shenzhen will help Fonterra feed South China’s rapidly growing appetite for top-quality dairy and keep local food service customers at the forefront of changing consumer needs, the company said.