New Zealand feeds a hungry Phuket

Chefs, sommeliers and some very thirsty people had the time of their lives sampling award-winning wines and craft beer at “Food Connection” – Phuket’s first New Zealand food and beverage trade show on Monday (March 27).

Fine wines from Sileni, crisp ciders by Zeffer and smooth craft beer from Epic Brewing were in the lineup of top products from the other side of Down Under.

Visitors were also treated to an exhibition of food art by Phuket chef Wuttisak Wuttiamporn, who demonstrated his dual skills by creating delightfully intricate objets d’art and delicious dishes using ingredients from New Zealand.

“They’re a pleasure to work with,” he said. “Not only are they top quality, they really uplift my dishes.”

Visitors could actually “Step into New Zealand”, donning virtual reality headsets to explore the source of all these mouthwatering products.

New Zealand and Thailand are the only two countries exporting more than half their total food production. Thailand is New Zealand’s seventh largest trading partner, and total mutual trade is worth NZ$3.25 billion (Bt78.6 billion) and growing.

Food Connection illustrated New Zealand’s grasp of the international hospitality market and the rising need to produce safe, high quality food in a sustainable manner.

“Every day more than 2,600 producers create delicious and nutritious foods to suit every palate in Asia, all in safe, sustainable and pristine conditions,” said Karen Campbell, New Zealand’s trade commissioner in Thailand.

“We’re honoured to work with likeminded partners here in Phuket for the first time and look forward to bringing even more delicious and high quality New Zealand food to Thai consumers.”

Also on offer were grassfed beef and lamb, naturally harvested greenshell mussels, healthy oat crackers and natural geothermal artesian water tapped from deep underground.

Food Connection is a business-to-business trade show staged across Asia by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. Check out www.NZTE.govt.nz.