Chin-Su Yod Thong Fish Sauce – Taking an Authentic National Flavor Global
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
zz1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chin-su Yod Thong Fish Sauce – Taking an Authentic National Flavor Global Bangkok, September 27, 2016 – Masan Group Corporation (HOSE: MSN, “Masan”) and its strategic partner Singha Asia Holding Pte Ltd (“Singha”) will officially introduce a new product, Chin-Su Yod Thong fish sauce, to the Thailand market through an event titled “First Small Step To Serve 250 Million In-land ASEAN Consumers”. The launch event of Chin-su Yod Thong fish sauce is not only a remarkable milestone for the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Thailand’s leading food and beverage companies, but is also the first small step in a journey to globally advocate Eastern food culture with fish sauce at its core. Masan believes that the new product is well positioned to win in a fast developing region. “Nuoc mam”, “nampla”, “ngan bya yay”, “prahok” or “padek” is an essential condiment that is consumed with meals on a daily basis by the people of Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Vietnam, as well as Thailand, is globally recognized as the cradle of fish sauce, where it was created and gradually perfected. Furthermore, Vietnamese and Thai cuisines, while varying in cooking methods and tastes, share fish sauce as a staple seasoning product. At the core of fish sauce is a beautiful story of heritage and gastronomy that touches the lives of people in Vietnam and Inland ASEAN, a story that can be proudly shared with the rest of the world and that is uniquely compelling such as Japanese soy sauce, Indian curry, American ketchup and European cheese. “Our purpose has always been to improve the material and spiritual lives of Vietnamese consumers with branded products and to be recognized for the highest quality, deliciousness and convenience. Singha’s presence and strong reputation built over many decades with Thai consumers will be a significant advantage as we expand our aspiration to better serve consumers. Chin-Su Yod Thong is the first step in our In-land ASEAN journey to better serve the region’s 250 million consumers, beginning with Thailand”, said Mr. Seokhee Won, CEO of Masan Consumer and Deputy CEO of Masan Group. In February of 2016, a special team was selected from Masan and Singha to collectively embark on a journey to understand the flavor of Thai fish sauce (“nampla”). They spoke with scholars to learn the history and the role of fish sauce in Thai cuisine, cooked authentic Thai dishes with Thai chefs and roomed, while sharing meals, with Thai consumers in an effort to truly integrate themselves into Thai culture and gastronomy. Through this cultural immersion and insightful experience, the team identified the intricacies of fish sauce in Thai cuisine in addition to its unique flavor enhancement capabilities. On this very foundation, Masan has created a delicious fish sauce that satisfies the taste buds of Thai consumers. In particular, during the product development phase, over 50 prototypes of Chin-su Yod Thong were tasted by and had received feedback from one thousand Thai consumers and food experts. The number of people who joined the official consumer tests was more than 500 individuals, coming from two major consumption areas – Bangkok and Northeast Thailand. Based on an independent survey by CREAM, 95% of Thai consumers and chefs claimed that they liked and wanted to purchase Chin-su Yod Thong, of which, 75% said that they would replace their current fish sauce with Chin-su Yod Thong if available for purchase in Thailand. 1 “Both Vietnamese and Thai consumers share fish sauce as a must-have ingredient in every day meals. Fish sauce from the two countries share similarities in flavor, but are used differently for cooking and consumption. Overcoming the barriers in language and food culture, within 7 months of sheer persistence, our project team has successfully developed Chin-su Yod Thong fish sauce, a product distilled from the essences of Vietnamese and Thai cuisines. Chin-su Yod Thong unlocks a new dimension of gastronomic pleasure inside Thai dishes, which are already intensely flavorful by nature, and are now offered an opportunity to become sublime. The looks of surprise and the nods of appreciation from consumers during our product tests are proof that Thai consumers accept and support Chin-su Yod Thong. We believe that it was genuine and intense love for food and consumers that has helped the Marketing and R&D team of Masan and Singha to accomplish the unthinkable.” said Ms Nguyen Mai Phuong, Marketing Associate Director for Inland ASEAN, Masan Consumer. Produced from exquisite sources of fish sauce essence, carefully selected in Vietnam, using state- of-the-art and safe manufacturing lines at Masan’s facility, not only has Chin-su Yod Thong won the palate of Thai people, but also has passed international standards and has been approved by the Thai FDA. Moreover, this product complies with Masan’s highest standards in food safety and quality management to protect consumer health. 2 ABOUT MASAN GROUP CORPORATION Masan Group Corporation (“Masan”) is one of Vietnam’s largest companies. Masan is focused on the domestic consumption opportunity and has built leading businesses in the branded food and beverage sector and in the animal nutrition value chain. Masan’s businesses include Masan Consumer Holdings, the producer of some of Vietnam’s most trusted and loved brands across many food and beverage categories (such as Chin-Su, Nam Ngu, Tam Thai Tu, Omachi, Kokomi, Vinacafe, Wake-up, Vinh Hao and Su Tu Trang), and Masan Nutri- Science, Vietnam’s largest local animal nutrition company (with brands such as Proconco and ANCO). The company’s other businesses include Masan Resources, one of the world’s largest producer of tungsten and strategic industrial minerals, and its associate, Techcombank, a leading joint stock commercial bank in Vietnam. ABOUT SINGHA ASIA HOLDING PTE LTD Singha Asia Holding Pte Ltd is an important member of Boon Rawd Brewery, Thailand’s first and largest brewery, founded in 1933 by Phraya Bhirom Bhakdi (Boonrawd Sreshthaputra). For over 80 years, the privately owned company has become a renowned beer and beverage producer with a growing branded food business and expanding regional presence. The company is managed by 3rd and 4th generations of the descendants of the founder together with professionals from different fields. At present, the company produces products under numerous brand names namely Singha, Leo, B-ing, Purra, Sanvo, Syder Bay, Boonrawd Farm, Pundee and Masita trademarks. The company has expanded and diversified its business interests into manufacturing, packaging, agriculture, real estate, food and restaurants, as well as retail fashions and life style, which comprises of over 50 affiliated companies. CONTACTS: Masan Group Corporation (Investors/Analysts) (Media) Tanveer Gill Trang Nguyen T: +848 6256 3862 T: +848 6256 3862 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Masan’s expectation, intentions or strategies that may involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements, including Masan’s expectations, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Masan’s control, which may cause Masan’s actual results of operations, financial condition, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions, future events or promises of future performance. 3 .