Young presenters show off the new Rajah oyster sauce to be distributed to 60,000 retail outlets nationwide through Sahapathanapibul’s distribution network.

The contract with one of Thailand's largest trading conglomerates will be a crucial strategy in revitalising its own sauce brand, Rajah, in the market.

"We [the Rajah brand] have been inactive for almost 20 years, and 2007 will be a starting point for the company in emphasising the growth of our own brand, starting from our flagship Rajah oyster and fish sauces," said Thai Preeda Industry vice president Veerapong Lourvanij.

"We expect sales of Bt100 million sales for our oyster sauce and another Bt120 million for our fish sauce this year."

Veerapong said sales would increase dramatically from last year's figure of Bt120 million. The company lacked a nationwide distribution network last year. Its Rajah products were distributed only to certain hotels, restaurants and catering firms, as well as in supermarkets like Tops and Foodland in Bangkok and other major cities.

"We have supplied our seasoning sauces to most hypermarkets through OEM [original-equipment manufacturing] as house brands. We've also produced fish sauces and sauces for many leading brands in the market. By joining Sahapathanapibul's network, the company can supply its own Rajah products to more than 60,000 modern and traditional retail outlets throughout the Kingdom," said Veerapong.

"We want to increase the contribution of our own Rajah brand from 40 per cent currently to more than 60 per cent by the end of the year. The rest will still be OEM business."

Veerapong said the company expected to achieve a 5-per-cent share of Thailand's Bt900-million oyster-sauce market and a 5-per-cent share of the Bt1.2-billion fish-sauce market this year.

Thai Preeda Industry currently exports about 30 per cent of its products from its Chon Buri factory to more than 20 markets in Asia, Europe, the United States and the Middle East.