Singapore showcase a chance to promote Great Southern produce on a grand scale

A contingent of business, industry and government representatives travelled to Singapore last week in another effort to put the Great Southern on the international map as a premium source of food and wine. More than 50 representatives of the region made the trip to participate in an inaugural international showcase of Great Southern food, wine, and tourism. The three-day showcase, dubbed Discover Great Southern — Western Australia’s Hidden Gem, was an opportunity to meet with agricultural industry leaders wanting to partner and invest in WA. It was the latest initiative derived from the Great Southern Tourism and Trade Partnership launched in February and driven by the Great Southern Development Commission, Austrade and Australia’s South West. Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan and Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens were part of the contingent, as was GSDC chief executive Natasha Monks. Ms Monks said being able to -position the region at the premium end of the market in Singapore would have “quite a good ripple effect moving forward”. “The wine showcase and masterclass was at a venue called 67 Pall Mall, which is a very exclusive members club and very hard to get into,” she said. “We had a very broad guest list of not just trade and media, but also consumer and industry influencers came to that as well. “Same of our winemakers gave us feedback the next day that they followed up with meetings and that they’ve had orders already.” The showcase involved three main events — a wine showcase and masterclass, a cocktail reception at the Australian High Commissioner’s residence, and the international launch of the akoya by Leeuwin Coast. Ms Monks said while the key focus of the trip was the Singapore market, “about 10 to 15 per cent” of those in attendance came from other ASEAN markets such as Malaysia and Vietnam. She said the event followed on from international “buyer’s missions” to the Great Southern last month and in May. “The people that are in Singapore have relationships with those other markets as well,” she said. “You can sit at the top of some of the towers there (in Singapore) and just watch the ships go in and out to get an idea of the sheer volume that goes in and out of that port.” Ms Monks said it was important the region’s industry continued to work together to refine its offerings. “A lot of our offering is linked to the provenance and the natural -offerings in market — the visual and visceral idea of where the produce and product comes from,” she said. “The cellar door experience, the visitor experiences, the natural environment and the idea of agritourism, ecotourism and tourism linked to wine is all part of the discussion. “There is a lot of interest from people in those markets to now come to the region as well, but we have to work with our industry now to help refine our product so that it sits at the right level for that market.” “That’s something we as a commission will continue to do alongside Tourism WA.”