Tainan Guavas Hotly Sold in Group Purchase After London Exhibition, Over 400 Air-shipped to UK
Tainan City's guavas, promoted at the UK International Food & Drink Exhibition (IFE), have seen strong group purchase sales in the UK, with over 400 air-shipped. This marks the first commercial import of Taiwanese guavas into the UK market, facilitated by the local Taiwanese company "Long Hao Jia," which also tested the supply chain's potential.
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- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 01:51
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chen Yun-yu, London, 6th exclusive report) Tainan City participated for the first time in the UK International Food & Drink Exhibition (IFE) at the end of March, promoting products including fresh guavas. Now, through a group purchase model, a small batch of Tainan Pearl and Red Heart guavas, totaling approximately 162 kilograms, has been air-shipped to the UK. This initiative aims to test the waters in the British consumer market and assess the potential for entering local retail channels.
This marks the first time Taiwanese guavas have entered the UK through import trade and commercial sales channels. The person who initiated the group purchase and coordinated all import and export matters is Huang Shih-ying (Dragon Mama), founder and director of "Long Hao Jia" company, which operates food import and e-commerce businesses in the UK. "Long Hao Jia" owns the brand "Dragon Mama's Kitchen."
Lin Yi-chen, a farmer from Yujing, Tainan, who supplied the guavas, told the Central News Agency that he is very grateful to the city government for promoting Tainan's local agricultural products internationally, which helps more overseas consumers recognize the quality of Taiwanese fruits. Furthermore, the highly mobilized and coordinated efforts of the local friendly community in the UK were instrumental in securing and completing the first export order shortly after the London exhibition.
Lin Yi-chen believes that this experience once again demonstrates the potential for Taiwanese agricultural products to expand into overseas markets. The mangoes he cultivates have successfully entered high-end department stores in Japan, with a single fruit retailing for up to 800 New Taiwan Dollars.
The UK has strict food safety standards and animal and plant quarantine regulations. However, according to existing regulations, guavas are classified as a fruit with relatively low safety risks, thus the practical import threshold is lower. Supplier Lin Yi-chen also holds the European Union-derived "GLOBALG.A.P." international food safety certification, which facilitates customs inspections in the UK.
A total of 420 guavas, which arrived in London on the evening of the 5th and cleared customs on the 6th, were mainly purchased by Taiwanese and Chinese residents in the UK.
Huang Shih-ying told the Central News Agency that for importers, what is more significant than the sales act itself is that this process amounted to a complete run-through of the fresh fruit import and export flow from Taiwan to the UK. It served as a stress test for the entire supply chain, from regulatory research and quality control to shipping, customs clearance, and cross-border and domestic logistics in the UK. All环节 (links) were practically verified, which will help further develop the local market in the future.
Although the current consumer base is still mainly Taiwanese and Chinese, Huang Shih-ying said that local British consumers from other backgrounds have also heard good reviews about Taiwanese fruits and placed orders.
Huang Shih-ying, who started her business after becoming a mother, mentioned that the opportunity for this guava group purchase arose when she independently exhibited at IFE under her company's name at the end of March. She visited the Tainan pavilion and received some products left by manufacturers. Subsequently, through promotional activities such as prize draws and free tastings, she leveraged the results of her online community management and the scarcity and uniqueness of Taiwanese guavas in the UK to rapidly drive order growth in a short period.
It is worth mentioning that, at the request of consumers, Huang Shih-ying additionally ordered plum powder from Kaohsiung to fully recreate the "Taiwanese way of eating" guava with plum powder.
On the other hand, conflicts in the Middle East continue, and international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has not resumed smooth operations, severely impacting the supply of energy fuels such as oil.
Huang Shih-ying revealed that she had been closely monitoring international air transport conditions for the past few days, worried about flight cancellations and guavas not being able to get on planes, "so anxious that I couldn't sleep well."
Huang Shih-ying said that unstable fuel supply and prices have led to the cancellation of some international flights, and to mitigate risks, airlines have also started to stop carrying fresh fruit.
Furthermore, the precarious security situation in the Middle East has led many international passengers to choose direct flights, which increases passenger load and consequently compresses cargo capacity.
Huang Shih-ying said that during the process, she encountered difficulties in booking cargo space, while international air freight costs continued to rise. However, to ensure quality, she did not consider other cross-border transport options besides direct flights.
This batch of Taiwanese guavas finally flew to London on an EVA Air flight, then entered Huang Shih-ying's warehouse in Leeds, North England, on the same afternoon. Each guava was sold for 6.88 British Pounds (nearly 300 New Taiwan Dollars).
"Dragon Mama's Kitchen," which started sales operations in early 2025, primarily promotes Taiwanese flavors, connecting Taiwanese producers with overseas consumer markets. Currently, its channels are mainly e-commerce platforms in various countries and regions. Products such as petal noodles, Taiwanese all-purpose sauce (combining soy sauce, Wuxian black vinegar, and sesame oil), and old chicken essence have been stably sold in the UK, Australia, the US, and Norway. This is their first attempt to import fresh Taiwanese fruit. (Editor: Chen Cheng-chien) 1150507
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(Central News Agency reporter Chen Yun-yu, London, 6th exclusive report) Tainan City participated for the first time in the UK International Food & Drink Exhibition (IFE) at the end of March, promoting products including fresh guavas. Now, through a group purchase model, a small batch of Tainan Pearl and Red Heart guavas, totaling approximately 162 kilograms, has been air-shipped to the UK. This initiative aims to test the waters in the British consumer market and assess the potential for entering local retail channels.
This marks the first time Taiwanese guavas have entered the UK through import trade and commercial sales channels. The person who initiated the group purchase and coordinated all import and export matters is Huang Shih-ying (Dragon Mama), founder and director of "Long Hao Jia" company, which operates food import and e-commerce businesses in the UK. "Long Hao Jia" owns the brand "Dragon Mama's Kitchen."
Lin Yi-chen, a farmer from Yujing, Tainan, who supplied the guavas, told the Central News Agency that he is very grateful to the city government for promoting Tainan's local agricultural products internationally, which helps more overseas consumers recognize the quality of Taiwanese fruits. Furthermore, the highly mobilized and coordinated efforts of the local friendly community in the UK were instrumental in securing and completing the first export order shortly after the London exhibition.
Lin Yi-chen believes that this experience once again demonstrates the potential for Taiwanese agricultural products to expand into overseas markets. The mangoes he cultivates have successfully entered high-end department stores in Japan, with a single fruit retailing for up to 800 New Taiwan Dollars.
The UK has strict food safety standards and animal and plant quarantine regulations. However, according to existing regulations, guavas are classified as a fruit with relatively low safety risks, thus the practical import threshold is lower. Supplier Lin Yi-chen also holds the European Union-derived "GLOBALG.A.P." international food safety certification, which facilitates customs inspections in the UK.
A total of 420 guavas, which arrived in London on the evening of the 5th and cleared customs on the 6th, were mainly purchased by Taiwanese and Chinese residents in the UK.
Huang Shih-ying told the Central News Agency that for importers, what is more significant than the sales act itself is that this process amounted to a complete run-through of the fresh fruit import and export flow from Taiwan to the UK. It served as a stress test for the entire supply chain, from regulatory research and quality control to shipping, customs clearance, and cross-border and domestic logistics in the UK. All环节 (links) were practically verified, which will help further develop the local market in the future.
Although the current consumer base is still mainly Taiwanese and Chinese, Huang Shih-ying said that local British consumers from other backgrounds have also heard good reviews about Taiwanese fruits and placed orders.
Huang Shih-ying, who started her business after becoming a mother, mentioned that the opportunity for this guava group purchase arose when she independently exhibited at IFE under her company's name at the end of March. She visited the Tainan pavilion and received some products left by manufacturers. Subsequently, through promotional activities such as prize draws and free tastings, she leveraged the results of her online community management and the scarcity and uniqueness of Taiwanese guavas in the UK to rapidly drive order growth in a short period.
It is worth mentioning that, at the request of consumers, Huang Shih-ying additionally ordered plum powder from Kaohsiung to fully recreate the "Taiwanese way of eating" guava with plum powder.
On the other hand, conflicts in the Middle East continue, and international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has not resumed smooth operations, severely impacting the supply of energy fuels such as oil.
Huang Shih-ying revealed that she had been closely monitoring international air transport conditions for the past few days, worried about flight cancellations and guavas not being able to get on planes, "so anxious that I couldn't sleep well."
Huang Shih-ying said that unstable fuel supply and prices have led to the cancellation of some international flights, and to mitigate risks, airlines have also started to stop carrying fresh fruit.
Furthermore, the precarious security situation in the Middle East has led many international passengers to choose direct flights, which increases passenger load and consequently compresses cargo capacity.
Huang Shih-ying said that during the process, she encountered difficulties in booking cargo space, while international air freight costs continued to rise. However, to ensure quality, she did not consider other cross-border transport options besides direct flights.
This batch of Taiwanese guavas finally flew to London on an EVA Air flight, then entered Huang Shih-ying's warehouse in Leeds, North England, on the same afternoon. Each guava was sold for 6.88 British Pounds (nearly 300 New Taiwan Dollars).
"Dragon Mama's Kitchen," which started sales operations in early 2025, primarily promotes Taiwanese flavors, connecting Taiwanese producers with overseas consumer markets. Currently, its channels are mainly e-commerce platforms in various countries and regions. Products such as petal noodles, Taiwanese all-purpose sauce (combining soy sauce, Wuxian black vinegar, and sesame oil), and old chicken essence have been stably sold in the UK, Australia, the US, and Norway. This is their first attempt to import fresh Taiwanese fruit. (Editor: Chen Cheng-chien) 1150507
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
Keywords: