Turkey’s honey brand Polenkoy is aiming for a denser expansion in the Asian market after achieving 30% growth year-on-year through its partners in India and Australia. According to its CEO, Mikail Cosar, the brand has met its objectives in the Middle East, India, and Australia; as a result, it is expanding into more Asian markets such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Polenkoy is a subsidiary of the HVS Group, which manufactures and exports organic and natural food products globally. The brand contributes 30% to the total revenue of HVS. Besides honey, it produces an oil range called Sunkoy, olives, jams, tahini, halva and molasses. Polenkoy features multiflower, acacia, chestnut, lavender, linden tree, pine, and thyme honey. The three most popular honey SKUs demanded by Asia are the pine, multiflower, and acacia.
The Asia and Asia-Pacific region are important as their people practise healthy lifestyles compared to other parts of the world. This philosophy is important when it comes to marketing our products in the region. We are currently carrying out research and development (R&D) on how to enter more of these markets.
“We want people to start their days by having Polenkoy products and the products become a consistent component of breakfast tables. We are also conscious of showing a solid existence in the European, Middle Eastern, and APAC markets,” Cosar said.”
Due to the diverse nature of the range of honey offered by Polenkoy, the firm could maintain its output across four seasons and maximize the different geographical surfaces of Turkey. For instance, the Aegean region contains pine, chestnut, and linden trees. Therefore, production lines in that area could produce honey from those plants.
In contrast, the eastern Black Sea region is fertile land for growing acacia trees. Hence, the firm’s production line in that region could produce acacia honey. Turkey also has mountain ranges, slopes, and lowlands, which allow lavender to thrive and produce lavender honey. Its latest offering is hazelnut honey, synonymous with the country’s identity as the world’s biggest hazelnut producer.
“The world contains cultures and tastes that differ by geography, resulting in different expectations and perceptions with regards to consumption behaviour. “We might encounter high interest in a certain product in a specific region, while other segments might not consume the same. Hence, we focus on people’s consumption behaviours according to their cultures to confidently enter the market. “Specifically, during a pandemic, we focused on producing apicultural products that could strengthen the immune system. Apicultural products, like honey, beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly, are believed to be beneficial for human health,” said Cosar.