Feature: Moroccan winery aims to expand Chinese market via 2nd import expo in Shanghai

Mamoun Sayah, general manager of Morocco's agricultural company Red Farm, checks the white wine in Rommani, Morocco, Oct. 11, 2019. As Chinese consumers are looking for high-quality imported goods, China International Import Expo (CIIE) is undoubtedly a rare opportunity for Moroccan companies interested in expanding their exports, said Mamoun Sayah, general manager of Morocco's agricultural company Red Farm. (Xinhua/Chen Binjie)

RABAT, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- As Chinese consumers are looking for high-quality imported goods, China International Import Expo (CIIE) is undoubtedly a rare opportunity for Moroccan companies interested in expanding their exports, said Mamoun Sayah, general manager of Morocco's agricultural company Red Farm.

Confirming that Red Farm will attend the second edition of CIIE in Shanghai, a financial hub of China, Sayah said this participation "will expand the popularity of the winery in China and help develop the brand image of Red Farm wine in the Chinese market."

Last November, Red Farm participated in the first CIIE in Shanghai and introduced the wines from the small Moroccan town of Rommani to the Chinese market.

"After participating in the Expo, our winery received a lot of cooperation offers. After rounds of visits and negotiations, we finally signed an agreement with a Chinese distributor to sell our wines in the Chinese market," Sayah said.

With a good impression of his experience of attending the first CIIE, Sayah said his company enjoyed "a beautiful stand" which was "an ideal place at the entrance of the exhibition."

"People were asking a lot of explanations about our different wines," he added.

Among the first wines shipped to China were some white wines called "Penelope," a new product developed by the winery this year, which has a soft and sweet taste, Sayah revealed.

"This wine is currently not available in Morocco, and Chinese guests will be the first consumers to taste Penelope," he noted.

Red Farm has more than 300 hectares of vineyards and produces 3 million bottles of wines annually. Its chief winemaker Jacques Poulain said that after years of hard work, the winery is authorized to call itself "Chateau Red Farm" in 2019.

Poulain explained that the word "chateau" was given to the wineries which have achieved a high standard in both production capabilities and wine quality.

Valuing the huge consumer market in China, Sayah believes that his winery has a lot of room for growth in the Chinese market as the initial feedback from its Chinese distributor is positive.

"The first container of Red Farm wine arrived in Shanghai in early October. Our Chinese partners are now dealing with the process of customs clearance," Sayah noted.