In an attempt to become the "Chef of the World", Thai Union Frozen Products is stepping forward not only with exporting authentic Thai dishes but also creating international menus to serve consumption around the world by investing Bt1 billion to set up another processing plant.
The new plant will be in Samut Sakhon, where its main processing line is located. Part of the project will be the company's first culinary development centre where a variety of products and tastes will be created to serve restaurants.
As the government has issued its "Kitchen of the World" policy, TUF has also come up with its "Chef of the World" vision to help realise the Kingdom's goal and ensure that all the company's menus can access every market.
Managing director Rittirong Boonmeechote said last week that TUF's focus is not only on the variety of menus and taste but also on quality. The company is also doing more research and development.
Early this year, the company employed a well-known American chef, who has long experience with a leading restaurant chain in the US, to work as an adviser at its culinary development centre for creating new menus. The research centre is also expanding from its 65 staff at present.
"We now have created more than 100 new menus and continue to trial new food tastes. This will encourage our chefs and products to be at the forefront in international markets. Having an expert chef will allow us to learn more about international tastes and the culture of any country," he said.
The company will shift its horizons from the domestic market, he said.
It will concentrate on product research and development, particularly improving the taste of its existing menus. It plans to produce all food dishes from appetisers to main courses as well as non-seafood menus.
It will improve the company's products to access markets with high sanitation requirements like the European Union and Japan.
"What we are going to do is solve our weak point in every market. The solution is to create product value and varieties," he said.
The new factory will produce mainly sardine and shrimp products for export. It will also focus more on supplying to restaurants. The new plant is designed with advanced technical processing so employees can be reduced by 30-50 per cent without changing the output.
The vision is also designed to cope with the labour shortage. The company has to undertake more innovation and advanced engineering to automate processing lines.
"It is a prototype project of TUF to solve the labour shortage in the long run," he said.
It will be a golden year for Thai shrimp farmers as both domestic and export prices are rising he said. This reflects the drop in global shrimp production due mainly to climate change.
In particular, Indonesia, one of the major exporters, has lost about 30 per cent of production to the widespread virus disease last year. Harvests in Vietnam and China are forecast to be delayed by two months.
The global shrimp production is forecast to reach 4.4 million tonnes this year. Of the total, 2.4 million is coming from farms and the rest is wild shrimp. The biggest shrimp producer is China with an expected 1.2 million tonnes, followed by Thailand with 600,000 tonnes, Vietnam with 300,000 tonnes, Indonesia with 150,000 tonnes and India with 100,000 tonnes.
Domestic prices for Vanamai shrimp have jumped by 20-30 per cent this year with big shrimp at the farm gate costing Bt245-250 per kilogram compared to Bt190 last year.
"The cheapest price cycle of shrimp has passed last year. Farmers have managed their farm and production costs well with higher yields and survival ratios. That along with more experience will ensure competitive costs," he said.
However, shrimp exporters have to work closely with their customers as they have changed their purchasing strategy rapidly to cope with their limited budget. The importers have to lay down flexible purchasing plans to avoid supply shortages and fluctuating prices, he added.