How importfood.net Brought Belgian Chocolate to China’s Spring Festival Market

Background: Trust and Choices of an Overseas Chinese Family — From Chenghai Toys to Hangzhou New‑Year Goods

This is a cooperation story spanning more than a decade. From a toy order in Chenghai to a batch of chocolate ahead of the Spring Festival in Hangzhou, the trust between Ms. Liu Juan and Import Food Network grew out of two seemingly ordinary “favors”.

Ms. Liu Juan is an overseas Chinese residing in Belgium. Her husband is Belgian and runs a time‑honored family enterprise. The group’s businesses cover breweries, chocolate factories, hardware (door locks) and toy trade. Ms. Liu takes charge of the group’s beer and chocolate divisions.

Her bond with Shantou began with two key visits.

On one occasion, she assisted the family with toy procurement. Knowing that Chenghai in Shantou is China’s major toy manufacturing hub, she entrusted us to source suitable suppliers. Based on her requirements, the Import Food Network team screened numerous local toy manufacturers and short‑listed several capable factories for her consideration. After thorough pre‑communication and research, Ms. Liu settled on a target factory. She travelled to Chenghai together with her husband for on‑site factory inspections, and successfully placed the order.

The other occasion concerned beer business cooperation. At that time, a local importer was seeking premium overseas beer brands for distribution and turned to us for support. Drawing on our overseas resource database, the Import Food Network team recommended beer products from Ms. Liu’s family business, and successfully closed the deal between the two parties.

One task was “helping us find suppliers”, and the other “helping us find buyers”. These two successful two‑way collaborations built her full confidence in our professionalism. Therefore, when she intended to introduce her family‑owned Belgian chocolate into the Chinese market, Import Food Network was her first choice.

Breakthrough: An Air‑freight Relay Ahead of the Spring Festival

In 2012, representing Belgian Elan Chocolate, Ms. Liu approached Import Food Network, hoping to leverage our platform to bring this premium European chocolate into China.

Upon receiving the commission, the Import Food Network team conducted in‑depth research and analysis on the brand materials provided by the Belgian company, and defined precise market positioning for the products. We then proceeded to screen and match potential suppliers. Within our strategic‑partner ecosystem, Hangzhou Xuanjibao Co., Ltd. stood out — a company with solid experience in imported‑food distribution and extensive sales channel networks.

However, it was right before the Spring Festival: the peak sales season for China’s food market, and also the busiest and most high‑pressure period for customs clearance and logistics of imported goods. To seize the new‑year‑goods market window, both sides made a firm decision: to skip conventional sea freight and opt for air freight directly, so as to guarantee products hit shelves before the holiday.

Achievements: Racing Against Time — From European Factory to Chinese New‑Year Shopping Baskets

Thanks to Import Food Network’s precise matchmaking and detailed negotiations, Belgian Elan Chocolate secured a long‑term partnership with Hangzhou Xuanjibao Co., Ltd.

The efficiency of air freight allowed the chocolate shipment to catch the Spring Festival sales boom. From factories in Belgium, to retail shelves in Hangzhou, and finally into consumers’ new‑year shopping baskets — Import Food Network delivered this sweet cross‑border relay through professional matchmaking and efficient coordination.

This successful partnership further deepened the trust between Ms. Liu and Import Food Network. She spoke highly of our service, commenting: “This was an extremely professional matchmaking, through which we truly experienced the value of the platform.”

Our cooperation with Ms. Liu’s family has continued for more than ten years, expanding from chocolate to beer and further product categories. The trust built back in 2012 keeps growing to this day.