Doi Kham builds on late King’s wishes, commits to enhancing farmers’ quality of life
Doi Kham Food has stated its commitment to furthering the wishes of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and is steadfastly operating its businesses to upgrade Thai farmers’ quality of life under the principle of “Agricultural Industry for Rural Development”.
Pipatpong Israsena Na Ayudhya, managing director and CEO of the company, on Tuesday said: “Doi Kham Food Company Limited – producer and distributor of processed food from farmers’ produce – is committed to running businesses to continue the Royal initiatives of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej Borommanatthabophit, who strove to address the poverty of farmers. King Bhumibol established royal factories to process food near agricultural areas so farmers could sell their produce with reasonable prices, improving their income and well-being.”
There are four royal food-processing factories: in Chiang Mai’s Fang district; in Chiang Rai’s Mae Chan district; in Sakhon Nakhon’s Tao Ngoi district; and in Buri Ram’s Han Sai district. The last of these is under renovation.
These four factories are situated closed to raw-material sources used in the production of Doi Kham products, especially the facility in Tao Ngoi district, which is the first factory to process tomatoes in the Mekong river basin.
The agricultural areas that promote tomato crops cover Sakhon Nakhon and its neighbouring provinces, such as Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin and Udon Thani, totalling 23,000 rai (3,680 hectares).
As a result, Pipatpong said, this area has earned its name the “Tomato Belt”.
“Each season, the company promotes and buys up to 18,000-20,000 tonnes per year of tomato produce for its factories. With this undertaking, Doi Kham tomato juice is a product of great pride, ascending in the market to become the number-one tomato juice brand. It still holds this position,’’ he added.
“The market for premium and medium fruit juices in Thailand in the third quarter of 2017 was worth around Bt4.3 billion, of which the Doi Kham brand enjoyed a market share of 20 per cent. Doi Kham’s tomato juice has grabbed a massive share of the market – as much as 90 per cent, being the number-one tomato juice brand.
“This year, the company’s marketing plan is to make Doi Kham even more popular as a health juice product. The company has developed new recipes for tomato juice to create consumer confidence and help Doi Kham win the hearts of consumers in every market segment. Each product stands out with a different, unique taste,” the CEO explained.
Besides promoting, purchasing and developing products continuously, Doi Kham Food is taking developmental strides in other sectors to achieve its goals.
With the recent floods in the Northeast, the firm has produced special packages of 99-per-cent tomato juice with a low-sodium formula, offering “Buy one, get one free” to stimulate consumption.
The company hopes to purchase more produce from farmers in the future.
Its new products will be on the shelves in 11,000 7-11 branches from Friday.