“Right now it’s small but it is such a huge growing market,” said Chris Woeber, director of operations. “It’s all about potential with that market. I think it’s wide open for these types of products especially from the United States. It’s in its infancy.”
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Woeber Mustard has shipped its products across the globe for years including to countries in the Middle East and Asia, but China is a new country the company is deciding to try to expand into.
There are many people in China and the demand for American yellow mustard is growing, Woeber said.
“They have some of their own domestic mustard and it’s their own style. but there’s not a lot of yellow mustard options for them right now,” he said. “We are introducing that product to China.”
Several types of mustard will be shipped to China, including salad style mustard, Gloria’s Finest Jalapeno Mustard, and yellow mustard products. Woeber Mustard is also sending white and pure cider vinegar to China. The Chinese are more familiar with the vinegar products, Woeber said.
The company is using XL Global to ship and handle the logistics of the expansion. The company met the shipping and logistics company at a trade show in January 2018.
“We haven’t really done a lot in China but we do several large trades shows a year and we make a lot of different contacts from other countries,” Sales Manager Wally Miller said. “We figured out what items they wanted and how to handle the orders so we knew that was a market that is pretty open for us and a lot of US food manufacturers.”
Miller said the company has found success in Indian and South Korean markets. The company sells its products in 25 different countries overall.
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Also, while yellow mustard might be commonplace in America, it’s unique and considered upscale in China, Miller said.
The expansion is new and Woeber said the company isn’t hiring directly because of it yet. However, the company is always looking for good people willing to work.
“We are currently in the market for people,” he said. “The labor market locally is pretty tight so we are looking for production associates, drivers and we are always looking for maintenance.”
And while the Chinese expansion is just starting, the company’s international sales play a big role in how many people Woeber Mustard needs, Woeber said.
“Asia in general, and with all of our exports, it’s a large part of our overall sales,” he said. “It adds to the people we need on a daily basis.”
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Facts and Figures
25: Number of countries Woeber Mustard products are sold.
7: Number of Woeber Mustard products being sold in China.
1905: The year Woeber Mustard opened in Springfield.
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