by Xinhua Writer Xia Kangjing

BANGKOK, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- In Samut Prakan province just outside Thailand's capital of Bangkok, a two-story building sits amid lush greenery. Fragrances, sprays and soaps line a wall in the ground-floor reception room, where the scent of lemongrass stands out. This is where Thai fragrance brand Phutawan got its start.

"Do you know what's special about the lemongrass in this product?" Founder Chatchai Wongmanarojsri asked, picking up one of the products.

It is made with red lemongrass from Mae Hong Son Province in northern Thailand, he said. The red variety has a distinctive scent, different from that of the more common pale green variety. It was in Mae Hong Son that Chatchai drew inspiration and named the brand Phutawan, meaning "mountain and sun."

Phutawan brings its range of Thai botanical products to the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) held from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai, hoping to reach more Chinese consumers.

Chatchai said the firm's debut appearance at the expo surpassed his expectations. The company secured meetings with e-commerce and offline retail partners and uncovered prospects for expansion into multiple Chinese shopping centers. Some talks remain in progress.

Chatchai said that seven years after the brand started laying the groundwork for its entry into China, Phutawan is still gaining insights into how regional variations in culture, climate and consumer tastes shape market demand. He stressed that the company must forge close partnerships with local collaborators.

Phutawan also has to adjust the way it sells. In Thailand, the brand relies mainly on physical stores, while in China, most of its sales are online. "E-commerce has developed rapidly in China, and the online market is huge," Chatchai said.

All these efforts are paying off. China now accounts for nearly 10 percent of Phutawan's total sales, and Chatchai expects sales there to double this year from a year earlier.

For Thai snack maker MagMag, this year's CIIE is its first as an independent exhibitor. The company is showcasing preserved fruit, gummies and drinks, including mango-flavored preserved plums and plum-flavored sparkling water, both making their debut in the Chinese market.

MagMag founder and CEO Nonthakogh Panyapadhm, who is of Chinese descent, wanted to give a familiar Chinese snack a Thai twist by pairing preserved plums with tropical fruit flavors.

Balancing sour, sweet, salty and spicy flavors requires careful attention at every step, from selecting the ingredients to curing the plums, he said. The company develops and makes its signature preserved plum products in-house. Nonthakogh hopes the flavors will bring back fond memories of Thailand for Chinese consumers who have visited the Southeast Asian country.

"Although this is our first time exhibiting independently at the CIIE, we've been preparing to expand in China for nearly a decade," he said. MagMag has set up a subsidiary in China and plans to run an online store to communicate directly with shoppers and learn more about what they want.

China offers plenty of opportunities, but the market moves fast, Nonthakogh said. At this year's expo, he hopes to meet distributors and retail partners as well as hear from buyers and consumers about what the company could improve.

Paijit Viboontanasarn, vice chairman and secretary general of the Thai Chamber of Commerce in China, said the CIIE gives Thai small and medium-sized enterprises a foothold in the Chinese market, helping them find customers and partners and test their business models.

From lemongrass fragrances to mango-flavored plums, Phutawan and MagMag are bringing distinct Thai products to Shanghai as they look for partners who can help them build a lasting presence in China.

"Trade goes both ways," Nonthakogh said. "Business can last only if both sides benefit."