An award-winning biscotti maker is breaking into the Chinese market with its range of sweet and savoury biscotti.

Great British Biscotti Co, based in Christchurch, is now selling in China online through the Great British Food Store on the country’s largest social media platform, WeChat.

The Great British Food Store – just set up by Business West, one of the UK’s largest Chambers of Commerce – is already selling 20 UK food and drink brands on WeChat which has a user base of 1.2 billion.

Paul Rostand, Founder of Great British Biscotti Co, pictured left, said: “China is such a massive potential market for us and the opportunity to get biscotti out there will go down so well. 

“In the Far East, they are really liking harder snacking products which fits perfectly with us. 

“I cannot compliment Business West enough for all the work that the team have done for us.

“They have been phenomenal.” 

James Monk, Commercial Director of Business West, said: “Lots of companies like Great British Biscotti have recognised that China is a great sales opportunity for them. 

 “The rapidly expanding middle classes there are ripe as an audience for quality UK food and drink products.” 

The biscotti are shipped to China and re-labelled in Chinese by Elanders UK of North Tyneside, an international logistics group with 11 operations in China.  

The biscotti are then transferred to Elanders bonded warehouse in Shanghai.

This enables Chinese customers to browse the WeChat store online and have orders sent to their homes within 24 hours. 

Kevin Rogers, Managing Director, Elanders, said: “This cross-border eCommerce offers the simplest model for UK brands to sell to Chinese consumers and expand their export footprint. 

“As the Chinese travel, they get a taste and palate for foreign goods, and they have a really good affinity with the UK. 

“They see British products as having heritage and high quality.  

“This initiative by Business West is right on the money because eCommerce in China is just insane.

“They buy everything online and WeChat is a very powerful tool.”

James Monk, of Business West, added: “Getting into China is not one of the easiest of markets. 

“We have taken apart the entire supply and transit chain to find a solution to make it viable for these smaller companies like Great British Biscotti to enter trading with China.”

In February, Great British Biscotti Co announced it had secured financial backing from the UK’s largest bakery brand, Warburtons.

The 145-year-old company, now in its fifth generation of family ownership, is providing a six-figure funding package.

It’s the maiden investment of Warburtons’ Batch Ventures bakery innovation fund after the Bolton-based giant teamed up with Mission Ventures, co-founded by food entrepreneurs Nigel Parrott, John Stapleton and Paddy Willis.

The fund will support innovative start-ups and SMEs in the bakery category including Great British Biscotti Co.