Eight potential exporters from Queensland have had the chance to put their best foot forward to Asian markets on a trade trip to Vietnam.
The AccessVietnam mission is part of Shell's QGC Emerging Exporters program, with participants flying over to Vietnam on Sunday.
Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise Food Leaders Australia are leading the targeted trade mission, with businesses including Riverbend Pork Group, Aussie Pork Suppliers, Busy Beef, Running Gully Meats, Four Daughters Premium Angus, Carpendale Commodities, Jim's Jerky and Dom Distribution.
As part of the trip, the delegates have visited a number of food production venues including a high end butcher, the Meatworks Asia and a food service operator, Redsun ITI.
The group has also visited a feedlot and individual exporters have had meetings with potential partners.
Grain business Carpendale Commodities and Transport's trading manager Andrew Jurgs said it had been a really good opportunity to visit a part of the world they may have not been focused on previously.
"We met with a family-owned flour mill, very welcoming, not just at a business level but also personally we found a lot of connections," he said.
"It was a meeting well worth having and I think it's something we're going to pursue when we get home to try and build a relationship with one another."
With a population of just over 95 million, significant growth in the number of young people with rising incomes and an increasing middle class, Vietnam is underpinned by a fast growing economy and a key focus of the trip has been how to access the nation's markets.
Shell's QGC business project manager Angus Hetherington said the AccessVietnam tour was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the local food and agribusiness sectors internationally.
"It's exciting to see the Shell's QGC Emerging Exporters Program reach this milestone and have a great group of businesses wanting to take the Western Downs to the world," he said.
The group is due to return to Australia this weekend.
