Ms Chen  (second from the right) with her team

2022 presented many unprecedented disruptions to global supply chains, caused by COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and natural disasters due to climate change. To strengthen its own supply chain, Oceanus Group set up Season Global. Oceanus’ origin story started in aquaculture trading, but under the helm of Peter Koh, it strategically diversified to include wine and beverages, fresh and frozen meats, snacks, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Oceanus Group’s subsidiaries, Guangzhou Intercontinental (commodities), SinoFoods (frozen meat), and Jiade Yifeng (FMCG) added to the diversification of Oceanus.

Still the journey hasn’t always been a seamless one. Jiade Yifeng in particular faced crucial hurdles, with the FMCG market peaking in 2013 and then subsequently diving into a period of contraction. Coupled with the impact of the pandemic, demand within the Chinese market was near saturation. Established domestic and international brands which had already solidified their positions were formidable competition to newcomers trying to build their brands and channels. There were other challenges as well: evolving consumer preferences, increasing costs of logistics, and the complexities of government regulations.

Ms. Chen Aiqiong, CEO of Jiade Yifeng, is no stranger to such challenges. A veteran with over 30 years of experience in the food industry, she has extensive expertise as well as the grit to back it up. “I’m from a rural background and started my own business young,” she says with a smile, “so nothing has ever been easy.” Her experiences have given her both a sense of pragmatism as well as resilience in the face of constantly changing market conditions. Her vision is to build an international food brand that consumers could genuinely trust – one that provides safe, healthy, delicious, and unique products, supported by a comprehensive food supply chain.To this end, travels extensively between Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and China to seek out reliable suppliers and partners. She candidly shared: “The Chinese market is a tough nut to crack, but it’s a market with tremendous potential. Consumers are becoming increasingly discerning, especially when it comes to imported food. They want products of superior quality and exceptional taste.”

“Quality and safety are the defining characteristics we must strive for. I recall a particularly memorable incident with our MYDO brand – when we were developing the spirulina cereal and black sesame chia seed cereal, there was a production issue that caused the cereals to have a slight whiff of oil. So while the product technically met national food standards, I couldn’t bring myself to send it out to market. If this affected our consumers’ experience, would they still have faith in us? Ultimately, after discussing it with the factory, I made the decision to scrap the entire batch. Although it was a financial loss, retaining consumer trust is far more valuable to me.”

This commitment to the consumer is also central to the wider Oceanus philosophy. “As CEO of this subsidiary,” Chen explained, “my responsibility is to ensure the long-term viability of the company. I cannot focus solely on immediate profits; rather, I must prioritise producing healthy, safe, and reliable food products that genuinely meet consumer needs. This is our promise to our customers, and it is my key motivator and driving force.”