News From : DagangHalal.com (06 Oct 2009)
Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Mark Sawers said the embassy is ‘working with Ghanim (the company managing marketing of the Brunei Halal brand) to identifuy Australian food producers’ that are eligible to sell their goods under the premium brand.
“The ball is really in Ghanim’s court,” he said in an interview with The Brunei Times.
Recently, a spokesperson from Ghanim International Food Corporation said that the brand is expected to launch its first range of products within the next six to 12 months.
The brand is owned and managed by government-owned Brunei Wafirah Holdings Sdn Bhd, which has appointed Ghanim to manage the brand marketing. Ghanim is 50 per cent owned by Hong Kong logistics firm Kerry FSDA and the Brunei government.
“The bigger Australian companies already have their own halal marketing established so this will probably be another option for them, but there will be potential of appeal for the small and medium enterprises, especially those in boutique food,” said Sawers. He added that Australian SMEs will find it quite daunting to enter the halal food market and the Brunei Halal brand is a welcome option.
“If the Brunei brand delivers markets, then we are going to be happy to take part in it,” he said.
Some in the local food manufacturing sector are awaiting word on how the marketing of the brand will be done in lucrative overseas markets.
“At the end of the day it is the market that will decide whether the brand is good or not,” said Hj Abd Rahman Hj Metassan, managing director of Malar Setia, a food and beverage importing company. “Customers will look at the price and the quality and it depends if the markets accept that or not,” he said.
“The prospects for the Brunei Halal brand are fantastic! It is a US$600 billion opportunity that we have for Brunei and Brunei is known for its Islamic values,” said Hj Salleh Bostaman Hj Zainal Abidin, Apec Business Advisory Council member. There are not only opportunities for the brand in food processing, but that the opportunities could expand to transport, handling and packaging, he added.
“We are only just starting to scratch the surface, the opportunities lie in the total supply chain,” he said. He added that the success would be dependant on the marketing of the brand. “Brunei is already known for its strict religious compliance and this is something we do not need to introduce.”
Ghanim is already working with a number of companies to produce goods under the brand.
By Debbie Too