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A growing appetite for organic poultry produce amongst Hong Kong’s food elite is catapulting a pair of Kiwi brothers onto the global food scene, as Asia’s top supermarket chains and restaurants look to source their product.
A recent trip to Asia’s food capital has secured supply contracts to three of Hong Kong’s major supermarket chains and a string of high profile restaurants for ‘Bostock’s Organic Free Range Chicken’ owners Ben and George Bostock.
It’s a partnership that will see a small portion of the company’s premium product shipped offshore each year.
Ben Bostock says he and his brother George are excited to be putting the clean, green New Zealand image on the map in the international poultry scene.
“We’re very excited to expand the brand and have our product accepted into Hong Kong’s cuisine scene. They are recognizing our organic farming practices as synonymous of the Kiwi ‘clean green’ image, they like eating what New Zealanders are eating and they’re prepared to pay a premium for it.
“Hong Kong nationals are losing trust in the provenance of other imported poultry products and now see New Zealand raised organic chicken as the best in the world,” said Mr Bostock.
The Bostock brothers have recently loaded their third shipping container destined for Hong Kong, from their organic chicken business in Hastings.
Younger brother, George says it’s rewarding work for years of staying true to their strict organic farming practices.
“International consumers are more aware of where their food comes from now and they want to know the back story. We are totally transparent and show the best way for chickens to be raised in New Zealand – and that’s free ranging on green pasture, in amongst the apple trees.”
Bostock’s Organic Free Range Chicken was started in 2014 by Ben Bostock. He began raising the chickens on pasture in open paddocks near the family apple orchard where he grew up in Hawke’s Bay. When his brother George joined the business last year they moved their chickens onto an apple orchard and built chalet’s to house the chickens among the apple trees.
The company is New Zealand’s leading certified organic chicken product.
Ben says it’s exciting to see their organic chicken products taking prime position on Hong Kong supermarket shelves.
“Hong Kong’s supermarkets only stock the best products from around the world. With a large affluent ex pat community, customers are a melting pot of westerners and Chinese nationals with money to spend. Stores are immaculate and every product has its place of origin on proud display.
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