ICE-cream maker Mackie’s of Scotland is forecasting £1 million of export revenue from Asia this year, flagging “major growth” in sales to the region amid success in the key markets of Taiwan and South Korea.
The Aberdeenshire company revealed orders for the Taiwanese market had been raised to 14 shipping containers, from three, as it forecast the rise in export sales to Asia in 2018. Each 40-foot container contains 20,000 litres of ice cream.
Mackie’s said that it had already secured orders for eight containers for the South Korean market this year. It received orders for a total of 20 containers of ice cream for South Korea during 2017.
A spokeswoman for Mackie’s said its export sales to Asia last year had, in terms of container loads, been up by 35 per cent.
Mackie’s highlighted its ability to capitalise on the broader Scottish food and drink sector’s success and reputation in Asia.
Taiwan, known officially as the Republic of China in its home territory, is already a key market for Scotch whisky, with single malt in particularly high demand in the east Asian island democracy of around 23 million people. There is also growing demand for langoustines, razor clams and brown crabs in Taiwan, to which Scottish seafood companies also export mackerel.
Mackie’s described the “spike” in demand for its ice cream from Taiwan as “very positive”. The company also exports chocolate to Taiwan, as well as to Hong Kong.
Ivan Jefford, export director at Mackie’s, said: “Mackie’s has been exporting ice cream to the Asian market for a number of years now, and it is also popular in UAE and Abu Dhabi. Korea has been our main success until recently. But we’ve now seen a spike in demand from Taiwan, which is very positive.”
He added: “I think that what’s attracted Asian buyers to Mackie’s is the journey from the Scottish farm with their own dairy herd producing the fresh cream and milk, mixed with renewable energy and tailored packaging - Mackie’s manages the whole production process.
“Then throw in the fact that the market looks for quality products – something Mackie’s is known for – and that we are a Scottish brand. It is a unique selling point and a strength that sets us apart from others. Scottish produce really is prized in Asia thanks to a lot of amazing work by the wider national food and drink industry.”
Mackie’s said that exporting ice cream could be “challenging”, with most of the Asian orders shipped via specialised refrigerated containers, which spend around six weeks on the open seas.
Mac Mackie, managing director of Mackie’s, said: “Our growth in the Asian market has been such a positive sign. We are always looking at new ways to bring our ice cream to new markets and have spent time establishing the right relationships.
“We are always working six to 12 months ahead of where we are just now. Japan is looking positive for 2019.”
He also cited the prospect of further product listings for Mackie’s in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The company noted that in Asia, as in other markets, ‘traditional’ was the “most sought-after flavour” of its ice cream.
The ice cream is produced by Mackie’s at the fourth-generation family farm, Westertown, in Aberdeenshire. The family started producing ice cream in 1986.
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