Candy Abalone welcomes visitors as part of trade delegation

Candy Abalone recently welcomed around 20 buyers from China to its Cambridge facility as part of an inbound trade visit.

At Candy Abalone, buyers savoured a variety of different dishes featuring the seafood.

One of the company directors, James Polanowski, said around 98 per cent of its products end up in China.

“Abalone is so entrenched in their culture,” Mr Polanowski said.

“The country has a 600-year history of eating abalone.”

But over the last few years, the Chinese market has not been a fertile one for Candy Abalone.

“We’ve seen a lot of farmed abalone grown in China come into the market,” Mr Polanowski said. “About 10 years ago farmed abalone actually took over wild production.

“Our Tasmanian abalone is definitely a superior product, but when you put it up against farm abalone that is cheap, it’s a challenge.”

Mr Polanski said  the past 12 months had seen improvement in the Chinese market for Candy Abalone, which he attributes to marketing through social media channels.

“We are proud to showcase the quality of Tasmania’s wild-caught abalone to some of China’s most influential seafood buyers and demonstrate why it remains one of the world’s most sought-after premium seafood products,” he said.

“We’ve invested heavily in building awareness of Tasmanian abalone in the Chinese market and creating meaningful connections with consumers and buyers.

“This trade allows us to tell the story behind our product, our harvesters and our island home, while demonstrating the exceptional quality that makes Tasmanian abalone unique.”

Shanghai-based Tasmanian Trade and Investment Advocate to Greater China, Vivian Zhao, said trade visits were about bringing visitors and letting them experience Tasmania.

“We often say Tasmania produces premium products, but we need to let people come here and experience the environment.

“Customers can also provide information on what the Chinese consumers like, which allows Tasmanian producers to improve their products.”