Kylie Petherick is the CFO of Australian tuna-farming company Stehr Group, which has seen demand for its products soar in China recently.
Established in 1972, the family-owned Stehr Group specializes in the offshore ranching and grow-out of southern bluefin tuna from its base in Port Lincoln, South Australia.
In July, Stehr signed an agreement with seafood distributor Shanghai Xinjiangyang Supply Chain Management, making the latter the company’s exclusive agent and marketing partner in China.
Despite weaker consumer sentiment in China overall, the company is aiming to further grow sales of its southern bluefin tuna – the name given by the industry to tuna farmed in South Australia – in China through the connections it has built up to this point.
Petherick recently discussed her company’s efforts in the Chinese market with SeafoodSource.
SeafoodSource: What prompted you to enter the Chinese market?
Petherick: We have been exploring the Chinese market for a number of years, having first sold fresh products to the Chinese market in 2017. We believe there is a market for our premium-quality product outside of our traditional market – Japan – and have targeted China as a potential large consumer.
SeafoodSource: How did you find your local Chinese marketing partner, and how has the relationship been?
Petherick: We have an agent in China who understands …
