Betagro Group, one of Thailand's biggest agro-industrial and food companies, plans to open a central kitchen at Navanakorn Industrial Estate to cash in on increasing demand for ready-to-eat meals and processed food.
Somsak: Focusing on convenient meals
The investment in the 750-million-baht facility reflects the group's greater focus on food processing, according to Somsak Boonlarp, chief operating officer for food business at Betagro Group.
Set to open in November, the Betagro central kitchen at the estate in Pathum Thani province will have a production capacity of 8,000 tonnes a year for developing food products in various categories for marketing under the group's Betagro and S-Pure brands.
Mr Somsak said six categories of food products will be developed at the centre: appetisers made with pork and chicken; processed egg such as peeled boiled egg and steamed egg; ready-to-eat meals; cuisine; baked goods; and seasonings such as Thai salad dressing and dips.
These products, with an emphasis on ready-to-eat meals, will be supplied to about 200 Betagro shops nationwide; leading supermarkets such as Tops Market, Central Food Hall, Gourmet Market, Home Fresh Mart and Villa Market; and FamilyMart convenience stores.
The company expects the products to generate 650 million baht in sales.
According to Mr Somsak, the overview of processed food and ready-to-eat food in Thailand is one of expansion.
The company's survey of urban consumers found that today's buyers are opting for processed food and ready-to-eat food because it is convenient and hassle-free.
The survey revealed that consumers eat outside their home half the time, or 56 times a month, and visit convenience stores 21 times a month. This has become their routine.
While convenience is key, however, health, quality and flavour are still important to those surveyed.
To respond to such high demand, Betagro will continue to offer sustainable and healthy options to consumers, Mr Somsak said, as well as highlight Thailand's position as a leader in global food production.
"We continue to focus on premium products, especially S-Pure premium pork, chicken and eggs, which come from livestock and poultry naturally raised without antibiotics, hormones and stimulants throughout the process," he said.
According to Mr Somsak, S-Pure is the first brand in the world to receive certification from Michigan-based NSF International, a public health and safety organisation, for animal products made without exposure to antibiotics.
Betagro Group operates in a wide range of agriculture-related business, such as chicken and swine farms, eggs, processed meat, animal drugs, and pet food.
The group reported sales of 100 billion baht in 2017 and aims for double-digit growth this year.
More than 80% of last year's sales revenue came from domestic sales, while the balance was from exports of chicken and pork.
Betagro plans to ship 78,000 tonnes of chicken and 5,800 tonnes of pork to overseas markets this year.
It also hopes to expand its reach to Bahrain, Qatar, Spain and Romania.
The company is showcasing its products at ThaiFex: World of Food Asia 2018, which runs through Saturday at Impact Muang Thong Thani.