The New South Wales Business Matching Session Concludes Successfully
Business matchmaking
On May 12, the New South Wales Going Global Business Matchingevent, jointly organized by the Trade and Investment Office of the Government of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and the Guangdong Imported Food Association, was grandly held at the Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou. The event aimed to promote cooperation between Australia and China in the food industry and attracted numerous brand representatives and industry professionals eager to explore future collaboration opportunities.
At the beginning of the event, Ms. Jesmine Zhu, Representative of the Greater China Trade and Investment Office of the NSW Government, delivered a welcome speech. On behalf of the NSW Government, she congratulated the successful hosting of the event and emphasized the significance of trade relations between Australia and China in the food sector.
Subsequently, the Guangdong Imported Food Association, as the event’s co-organizer, also gave a speech. Secretary-General Tan expressed heartfelt thanks to the NSW Government for its trust in the Association and mentioned that the two parties have successfully collaborated on multiple business matching events, receiving widespread praise from participants. She also briefly introduced the opportunities and challenges in Guangdong’s imported food market. Australia is globally renowned not only for its meat, dairy, and wine, but also for its high-quality food environment and innovation. She expressed hope that, with the joint support and efforts of the NSW Government and the Association, more premium products would be introduced into South China and the broader national market.
Ms. Tan Wenyi Secretary-General, Guangdong Imported Food Association
Ms. Renee Zhao from Australia’s Reliable Group, invited as a representative of key buyers, shared her digital strategy: building e-commerce channels that reach Chinese consumers directly, integrating payment systems such as WeChat Pay and Alipay, and analyzing user preferences and consumption habits to enable precision marketing. Reliable Group proposed a “from transaction to connection” model, aiming not only to close deals but also to cultivate long-term customer relationships through membership programs, helping more Australian brands truly integrate into the Chinese market.
Ms. Renee Zhao Invited Buyer Representative, Reliable Group, Australia
NSW brand exhibitors attended in person, showcasing featured products including wine, ready-to-drink tea, health beverages, snacks, bread, functional coffee, roasted coffee beans, coffee capsules, functional sparkling water, vitamins, and other nutritional supplements. To help participants better understand each brand’s story and product highlights, representatives from each company introduced their businesses and offerings.
The Guangdong Imported Food Association invited a number of high-quality buyers from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Foshan, Dongguan, and other cities, including importers, distributors, hotels, and restaurants. Attendees engaged in efficient communication with brand representatives, earning high praise and achieving tangible trade outcomes.
One importer from Guangzhou showed strong interest in Pablo & Rusty’s Coffee Roasters, commenting that the specialty coffee capsules and canned coffee were novel and that they believed there was significant potential in the younger consumer market.
After the event, more than 80% of buyers voluntarily submitted positive feedback. Several purchasers remarked: “We thought it would just be a regular matchmaking session, but we ended up connecting with three or four high-quality brands.” Notably, in the pre-event registration survey, 75% of buyers selected only 1–2 preferred brands, yet the trustworthy quality systems of NSW brands sparked unexpectedly enthusiastic negotiations onsite. Mr. Wu, head of a Foshan-based restaurant brand attending for the first time, said: “I hope more events like this can be held in the future so that more people can gain access to useful information.”
Health beverage brands also enjoyed brisk popularity. Brands such as BODIE’Z (protein water), Neo Australia (Ayurvedic herbal tea), and Monak Wine Co (wine) held multiple rounds of one-on-one consultations with interested buyers.
Equally well received were world-renowned Australian nutritional supplements. Many participants found the packaging and appearance of the displayed supplements visually striking, while the product functions were seen as highly targeted.
Toward the end of the event, the organizers arranged a cocktail reception, creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for further discussions. The convivial setting allowed guests to feel a sense of harmony and interaction, enhancing mutual understanding and paving the way for future cooperation. Light refreshments and delicious snacks were also provided, allowing guests to enjoy gourmet treats between business talks and get to know each other better.
This business matching session fully leveraged the platform role of the Guangdong Imported Food Association, playing a positive role in promoting deeper cooperation between China and Australia in the food sector, while also bringing a wider range of premium international products to Chinese consumers. More than just a strategically significant trade and investment promotion event, it served as a bridge directly connecting NSW enterprises with the Chinese market. In the future, the Association will organize more online and offline activities to bring more outstanding overseas food products into China.