The first popup store where the Ekselence ice cream is sold has been opened in one of the largest Shanghai shopping malls, New World Dai Maru, which boasts about 100,000 daily visitors.
"Three months ago a ship with Latvia-made ice cream departed from our coast to China. Today I have the honor of welcoming that ship and to announce that the first Latvian ice-cream Ekselence popup store has been opened in China," said Normunds Staņēvičs, the head of the board of the dairy firm Rīgas piena kombināts, part of the Food Union group.
He commended the support he got from business partners and the role international relations played in carrying out this project - including the work of Latvian and Chinese embassies, the Latvian Ministry of Agriculture as well as of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency.
The store will be open every day, selling Ekselence Double and Ekselence family packs of multiple flavors. Additionally, Food Union's Nu Smoothie - an all-natural ice cream - is sold in stands across five leading stores in Shanghai.
Representatives of Food Union stated that "[..] Chinese customers know very well which products promote their health no matter what their age is. And here we have a chance to introduce them to Latvia - one of the greenest countries in the world - and to popularize our country's tourism offer, cultural and farming traditions, as well as possibilities of doing business and investing in Latvia. [..]"
The popup store and stands will work a two-month test run, and afterwards the Food Union team will prepare the new product portfolio for the 2016 summer season for sale in the largest shopping malls across Shanghai.
