Taiwan food maker Chi Mei to produce frozen dumplings in Poland

Lodz, June 12 (CNA) Taiwanese food maker Chi Mei Frozen Food Co. (CMF), a subsidiary of Chimei Group, will begin producing frozen dumplings at its newly established plant in Poland in August, according to the company's top executive on Wednesday.

The plant in Lodz is a NT$200 million (US$6.18 million) joint investment with Polish meat producer SuperDrob S.A., CMF President Sung Tsung-lung (宋宗龍) told reporters during a tour of the facility in Poland's second largest city.

With the plant nearly fully equipped, it will churn out 1 million dumplings per day, putting it on a par with a CMF factory in Taiwan, Sung said.

The Lodz factory is expected to be able to produce 25 million dumplings monthly, he added.

Due to European regulations restricting the import of meat products, CMF and SuperDrob will work together to source the ingredients locally, Sung said, with pork dumpling their main product for now, and plans to expand into other items such as dim sum and xiaolongbao (steamed dumplings) in the future.

According to Sung, Japanese and South Korean dumpling makers already have a presence in Poland, but he believes CMF's dumplings will be more competitive and different after comprehensive market research and product adjustment.

The central European nation is known for having a dumpling culture, he said, referring to the pierogi, which is a Polish dumpling that is stuffed with either sweet or savory fillings, such as potato, cheese, meat, mushrooms or fruit.

By working with retailers such as Costco and other supermarket channels selling Asian goods, the executive said he hopes to use Poland as a springboard to expand into other European markets.

From a business management perspective, Sung said although the main research and development will remain in Taiwan, the company does not rule out setting up an R&D base in the country, due to its low labor costs and good public safety, with the work ethic of Polish people closely matching that of Taiwanese.

In the future, Sung said CMF plans to enter other potential markets, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium and Denmark.