Fonterra milking its commitment to China at Shanghai international expo

New Zealand dairy producer Fonterra is represented at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai for the eighth year running in what senior executives say is a demonstration of their long-term commitment and unwavering confidence in the Chinese market.

Fonterra chairman Peter McBride has said it is a great privilege for him personally to be participating in the CIIE for the first time.

"Fonterra's growth benefits from China's open market and the healthy relationship between China and New Zealand," he said.

"This year is especially meaningful as it begins the second decade of the China and New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership."

As China maintains a high-standard, open business environment, the CIIE has become a critical platform that connects the country with the rest of the world, offering broad opportunities to Fonterra, McBride added.

Miles Hurrell, chief executive officer of the farmer-owned cooperative said, as a leader in dairy nutrition, Fonterra has achieved significant growth in China in the past four decades, with the Asian country now one of their most important strategic markets.

"This is my third return to the CIIE," said Hurrell.

Recalling last year's visit of the entire Fonterra management team to the CIIE, Hurrell said they "learned first-hand about how China speed drives dynamic innovative vitality. I believe that the CIIE brings great learning opportunities to gain valuable insights into the Chinese market.

"The CIIE has been a valuable opportunity for us to engage directly with customers, build, develop and strengthen partnerships, and showcase our high-quality products, as well as demonstrate how they benefit Chinese consumers."

In China, Fonterra has deployed locally-driven innovation as a core strategy for driving development and meeting diversified consumer demands, not just in China but across the global market.

"Moving forward, I believe we'll bring more winning ideas from China to the world under our China for Global strategy," said Hurrell.

Fonterra now has six application centers , where it works in partnership with key customers to co-create new dairy products that blend with local cuisine.

With China set to embark upon its 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), Fonterra says it will present a series of innovative dairy applications and nutrition solutions generated from its sustainably-produced high-quality grass-fed dairy at this week's CIIE.