Mad rush for GIHOC Distilleries products in China

A well-thought-out strategy and presentation was all that was needed to break into the Chinese market.

When Mr Roger A. Chimah, Project Consultant, GIHOC Distilleries was called to interact with Chinese entrepreneurs at the 2019 China-Ghana Economic & Investment Forum at Wenzhou on Thursday, November 7, 2019, he didn’t disappoint.

His calm mood and presentation skills coupled with his authority over the Queen’s language were enough to woo the Chinese entrepreneurs who had travelled from various provinces in the Asian country to the stand-mounted by the Ghanaian alcoholic beverage producer at the main entrance to the forum to sample and buy their products in droves.

The key highlight of his presentation was the medicinal value the products offer to the human body.

They displayed products ranging from Chevalier Brandy, Castle Bridge Premium, Herb Afrik, Mandingo, Takai and Apet Dry Gin.

Out of these products, Takai, a blend of cocoa and coffee, as well as Herb Afrik, Mandingo and Castle Bridge Premium, were on high demand as the Chinese entrepreneurs either bought two or five of the different products on display.

Mr Chimah later told reporters covering the event that their presence at the forum was to present GIHOC and its products to the Chinese market.

“We wanted to penetrate the Chinese market for them to know the kind of quality products GIHOC produces in our beautiful country called Ghana. It’s been amazing and the response is very encouraging. GIHOC is looking forward to establishing its presence in China. That is our focus as we are already in countries like Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Ethiopia”, he noted.

He further noted that GIHOC was looking forward to the construction of a fruit-based ethanol factory as well as a glass factory to serve the needs of the company taking into consideration the cost of importation of these production materials from other countries.

“These are some of the priorities of our Managing Director, Maxwell Kofi Jumah and he is very passionate about executing these projects. He wants to deepen the strong industrial foundation being pursued by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to make Ghana a hub of industrialization”, he explained.

The deputy Ambassador of the Ghana Embassy in Beijing, Dr Charles Dwamena in an interview said he was overwhelmed by the response of the Chinese to the GIHOC products.

He said this was the spirit under which the forum was organized.

“We want to create a very strong trade and the industrial relationship between Ghana and China in our quest to deepen the bilateral ties between the two countries. Ghana produces a lot of quality products and it is our aim to connect them to the Chinese market and the response we are witnessing here is a clear demonstration that GIHOC has the potential to capture a share of the Chinese market”, he noted.

The China-Ghana Economic & Investment Forum is an annual event that brings together entrepreneurs, industry players from various economic fields across China. It was the second edition that was held in Wenzhou after being held in Beijing in 2018.

The forum is an initiative of the Ghana Embassy in China together with the local authorities in China.