Thai food has unquestionably become popular internationally, which is why Thai restaurants can easily be found worldwide along with other famous and unique cuisines such as Chinese, Japanese and French.
But the authenticity of Thai food remains elusive, especially to foreigners who have little knowledge of the real thing. Thai dishes often contain distinctive ingredients, mostly herbs found only in Thailand and Southeast Asia. These facts inspired one man to bring real Thai taste to the world.
Somkiat Wongprasert, 44, founded Q Plus Foods in 1999 as a food additives trading company. It now also produces cooking kits with authentic Thai ingredients under the Sutharos brand, made specially for the foreign market.
The entrepreneur says he always found Thai restaurants lacking during his travels abroad. After talking to many chefs and owners, he decided that many of them operate Thai restaurants that are just Thai in name.
Lack of real Thai food abroad offers him a good business opportunity, says Somkiat.
"If things go on like that, people will get the wrong impression about Thai food, as they will not know what real Thai food is, and that gave me the opportunity to do such a unique business," says Mr Somkiat, who serves as managing director of Q Plus Foods.
"Our goal is to put Thai ingredients together and ready to be cooked at any time and in a short time. So you can cook your Thai food anywhere in only five minutes, even if you are not keen on cooking."
Sutharos offers ready-to-cook kits with all the ingredients in one pack.
"With our Thai cooking packs, you just add meat to it and that's it," Mr Somkiat says.
After graduating from Khon Kaen University in 1993, Mr Somkiat got a job at a food factory and also worked as a freelance quality assurance consultant for the Thai Standards Institute.
"I always wanted to have my own business, so I began with food additives because they were what I was familiar with," he says, adding that he started Q Plus Foods with an initial investment of 10,000 baht.
The company sells more than 100 products, including chilli flakes, dried cinnamon, basil leaves and lemongrass. Q Plus Foods has a factory and a farm on 100 rai in Nakhon Pathom province. The company grows all the ingredients used in Sutharos cooking kits.
In 2005, Mr Somkiat added some dried herbs and spices to the products for more variety after a spate of competitors emerged in the market. Then the company began developing its ready-to-cook kits in 2012.
Thai restaurants abroad account for 70% of total sales of the cooking kits. The remaining 30% comes from retail, also in foreign markets.
"All of the ingredients are grown organically to try to maintain the consistency of the Thai taste," Mr Somkiat says.
Sales of the ready-to-cook kits mirror the popularity of each dish in difference markets. For instance, tom yum ranks as a best-selling item in Germany, while phad kaprow is popular in Japan.
"We started the business in Germany because of its strong purchasing power and stringent food safety standards," Mr Somkiat says.
"Once we meet that high standard, it will be easier for us to enter other markets with less stringent standards."
The response to the products has been positive because they show how to cook a delicious, authentic Thai meal in an easy way.
Pornpan Wongprasert (right) wife and general manager, demonstrating their green curry cooking set at SIAL China 2015, a food and beverage trade exhibition, in Shanghai.
"Many buyers have been to Thailand, so they know what real Thai food tastes like," he says. "That is why our products are well regarded."
Although most Sutharos products are made to serve demand from abroad, the company is also mulling launching ready-to-cook products for the domestic market.
Q Plus Foods recently introduced its cooking kits at a trade show in Shanghai, looking to build on its success in Japan and other markets.
The company will focus on major Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, where diners are more familiar with international cuisines.
Q Plus Foods had revenue of 300 million baht last year and enjoys average yearly growth of 10%.
"I believe demand for our ready-to-cook kits will grow every year, as it is a new product that people will be interested in," Mr Somkiat says.
The company makes 5,000 ready-to-cook kits a day and expects to raise capacity continuously, with an eye towards listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand within 10 years.
"For now, we will just focus on promoting and finding new partners for our products," Mr Somkiat says.