When Buyer Met Seller is a mini sales convention that brings Australian consumer goods manufacturers and suppliers together to showcase their products in front of Melbourne-based Asian buyers for the Asian markets.

From fledgling businesses taking their initial steps in the international market, to established names adding more pieces to their export puzzle, showcasing products such as gourmet foods and alcohol, health and beauty products, and even something for our furry friends.

Victorian Chamber International Business Development Manager Eddie Zhao said the event resembles the movie its name is based on – When Harry Met Sally.

“We believe there are some similarities between romance and international trade,” he said.

“In the world of buyers and sellers, you do need the right chemistry to bring parties together. It will only yield desirable and sustainable outcomes if meaningful relationships are established between the parties.

“That’s why we created this networking opportunity and encourage all buyers and sellers this to look beyond the transactional relationship, open your mind, use the opportunity to know each other, have lots of follow up meetings afterwards, and bring the collaboration to fruition down the track.”

The event hosted more than 150 buyers and sellers. Some sellers included:

Doggy Balm

Doggy Balm makes natural skin and hair care products, and treats, for dogs. The business is the brainchild of Maria Phillipou, whose Maltese Shih Tzu had numerous skin issues.

“I’m a qualified chef by trade, so I like to just dabble in the kitchen. I started doing some research.

“Back in 2011 natural products weren’t a huge thing as they are now, so I started to develop some creams and we found that they worked a treat.

“Then in 2019, I just put my thoughts together and said, ‘you know what, I need to start selling this’ and Doggy Balm was born.”

Though mainly an online store, with some bricks and mortar outlets locally, Doggy Balm is scoping out overseas potential.

“I think this is an absolute fantastic opportunity. We’ve spent four years building some fantastic natural products for dogs. Now we’re in a position that it’s time for us to expand even further and look into international business.”

Alba Cheese

Alba Cheese was established over 40 years ago by brothers Mario and Gaetano Bongiorno, who started making traditional Italian-style cheeses in Australia.

As Sales Manager Pietro Larocca said, the company has grown a lot in that time, including its export journey in the past 15 years where it now sells to more than 10 countries in south-east Asia. But the opportunity exists to keep expanding through the global popularity of cheese products.

“We have a great ambition to grow furthermore in Asia,” he said.

“Our main product for overseas is mozzarella. The concept of pizza is becoming a big thing around Asia as well, and mozzarella is one of the main ingredients to make pizza.

“So, we need to be there with our beautiful mozzarella – alongside other products like parmesan and cheddar as well.”

Gourmet Merchant

Name it and the Gourmet Merchant sells it. From puddings to confectionary and baked treats, crackers, fruit paste, and “the best Turkish Delight outside of Turkey,” its four different labels cater to broad markets.

“Gourmet Merchant has been around for a very long time. We started in 1995 basically doing catering for airlines,” director Liz O’Shaughnessy said.

“Given that the focus of airlines at that level had shifted, we shifted as a consequence of that and basically now produce an enormous range of gourmet products. We supply a lot of corporate gifting companies.”

The business already has some links in Asia but is ambitious to keep exploring leads.

“Overseas, we’ve got some very good clients in Singapore, and we hope to expand that. We’ve had a lot of interest from a number of different Pacific and south-east Asian markets.

“That’s the reason we’re here – to see if we can have some opportunities in south-east Asia and grow the brand there.

“The market most appealing for us right now is actually South Korea. I think because of the wealth in South Korea, their propensity to enjoy Australian products particularly, there’s a great opportunity for us there.”

Rocky Jones Distillery

Young brothers Christian and Damian Melone run family-owned distillery Rocky Jones on the Mornington Peninsula, combining modern and new world spirits with traditional methods passed down from previous generations.

“We grow all our grapes from scratch. We turn it into wine and then we distil it into our gins and vodkas,” Christian said.

A relatively fresh brand already with some links overseas, Rocky Jones is looking to really take off overseas.

“We’ve been exploring the export market for the last couple of years. We export to Malaysia and the Philippines and now we’re exploring the China market. We already have our products in Vic House in Shanghai, a Victorian Government initiative. We hope to find a distributor in China.”

Point Leo Estate

Still on the peninsula, Gandel-family owned Pt Leo Estate needs no introduction as one of the most esteemed cultural and culinary destinations in Australia.

However, rather than a focus on export, its purpose on the night was to showcase its stunning estate to potential international business visitors.

“We’ve got a bit of a different business model when it comes to the wine arm of our business. All is sold direct to consumer off the estate, so we don’t actually export,” Business Development Manager Georgie Prout said.

“We have a quite an incredible space on the Mornington Peninsula, just 90 minutes from Melbourne, and the reason why we’re here today is we really want to introduce Point Leo Estate to some of the guests who are here.

“We feel that we have a great venue to be able to utilise when they’re doing business negotiations and deals, showcasing new product launches, events, and we hope that some that there will be a connection there when they come and visit us and see what we have to offer.”

Victorian Chamber’s international services

The Victorian Chamber’s Global Consulting team is keen to support members on their export journey. The Chamber delivers international services through essential knowledge and industry contacts for doing business overseas.

We can provide ATA carnets, export documents, trade certificates, and help to grow your business in international markets. We also offer tailored migration and visa services to members.

For more information, please contact Eddie Zhao, on 03 8662 5234 or email ezhao@victorianchamber.com.au