By Sheila Wan
 |
Flavoured candies are a dime a dozen, but honey sticks are a
different matter altogether. Made from nutritious honey, the candy
definitely gets the thumbs up, as compared to its sugar-laden
rivals. Apparently it is gaining popularity among Singaporeans as
Singapore-based Fave Pte Ltd reports that sales of its US-imported
honey sticks have been rising in recent months.
Winston Tan, one of Fave’s two managers, told eBizAsiaLink.com that
Fave started out introducing its honey sticks to “young children in
schools, while the schools used the honey sticks for fund raising
with remarkable success”.
“Everyone is focusing on eating healthy and parents want to give
something healthy to their children. And the children love honey
sticks, especially flavoured ones,” explained Tan, when he was asked
why the candy is selling well.
The sticks are also popular with young adults and tertiary students.
Said Tan: “We retail the honey sticks in the city area and a lot of
young adults take the honey sticks as a healthy snack.”
“The sales are fantastic in tertiary institutions as students take
these ‘perk-me-up’ sticks during lectures, instead of the usual
calorie-laden sweets.”
 |
Heartened by the encouraging market response at home, the company
is looking to export the product and even sell it in different
forms.
“We are looking to push the product regionally. Other than as candy,
it can also be a substitute for sugar in beverages and on waffles,”
said Nicholas Lee, the other manager of the health snack company.
Both managers are confident that the honey sticks will find their
niche in foreign markets as the company “taps into unexplored
areas”.
“We have done some product testing in Shanghai and Malaysia. We are
also speaking to distributors in Taiwan. We believe the product will
take off in these markets in the next three to six months,” said
Tan.
When asked why the company is looking at these countries, the
managers said it is the market potential of these countries that
attracts them.
Lee singled out Shanghai as one of the “fastest growing markets
worldwide and the fastest growing city in China.”
Said Tan: “The coffee culture in Shanghai is picking up as more
coffee joints are opening up in the city. Since our honey sticks are
targeted at the same young adults who frequent these joints, we
believe that our products will do well there too.”
“As for Taiwan, it has a well-developed snacks industry,” he added.
Things may not be as rosy in Malaysia though. While Fave is now
talking to some distributors and conducting product tests there, a
potential stumbling block appears to be the weak ringgit vis-à-vis
the Singapore dollar, which may push up the retail price of the
candy, said Tan.
|
.gif){kind=spacer}
