Exhibitors at the 35th Hong Kong Food Expo, which kicked off Thursday, said they are betting on the annual event to promote their products to both business and retail customers, and noted that footfall has surpassed their expectations despite the heavy downpours.

The five-day event, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, runs alongside four other fairs — the Food Expo PRO, the Hong Kong International Tea Fair, the Beauty and Wellness Expo, and the Home Delights Expo. These together have brought in 1,890 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions.

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The exhibition halls were bustling with visitors, and some vendors remarked that the passenger flow seemed stronger than in previous years, although the black rain warning on Thursday morning pushed forward the Food Expo’s scheduled opening time of 10:30 am to 1:10 pm, and light rain persisted throughout the afternoon.

Cara Chung, a senior marketing officer at Kofco Enterprise (Asia), which imports popular South Korean products such as the instant noodles brand Shin Ramyun, said she has participated in the event for at least five editions, and the crowds this year are larger and more eager to open their wallets than in previous years.

Many customers were already queuing outside the venue, even before the exhibition started, Chung said, adding that she expects sales during this year’s event to rise by 10 to 15 percent compared with last year.

Hau, general manager of Bien Jamon, a company that sells Spanish ham and Turkish biscuits, agreed. She said the first day of an expo is typically quieter, especially when it is a weekday and the weather is poor. “But today exceeded my expectations.”

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Hau introduced a localized version of the Turkish biscuits, incorporating flavors like pistachio and dried rose petals, to cater to the palates of Hong Kong residents. She predicted that these efforts coupled with the high foot traffic would help the company at least match last year’s sales figures.

Seasoned exhibitor Zeng Yongjie, whose business specializes in dried tangerine peel products for corporate clients, told China Daily that his experience has been similar. He said there is a noticeable increase in footfall this year, and that “just two to three hours after the exhibition opened, around four corporate buyers have reached out to me for business talks”.  

Zeng said he is confident that the total contract value secured during this year’s expo would increase by 30 percent compared with last year.

With operations in both Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, Zeng said that although he attends exhibitions in other places every year, he finds the Food Expo in Hong Kong unique due to its international appeal, where he can find more foreign buyers for his export business.

This year’s expo introduced a coffee zone for the first time, featuring a wide array of products, including drippers, grinders, and coffee beans from Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia, and the Chinese mainland.

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Among the exhibitors is Indonesian company De Do Bear, which promotes its coffee beans from Sumatra, one of the country’s largest islands. A sales representative named Berlin said it was her first time at the Hong Kong Food Expo and she was impressed by its scale and the foot traffic.

The company aims to use this platform to promote coffee beans from Sumatra to customers in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, and international markets, Berlin said.

Contact the writer at irisli@chinadailyhk.com