Qantas Freight has secured a contract to transport 50,000 litres of VAN Dairy’s fresh Tasmanian milk from Hobart to Ningbo, China in the first half of 2017, using a Boeing 767-300 freighter. The deal is subject to government and regulatory approvals.
The flights will initially operate weekly with a view to increasing the frequency to meet demand, a statement from the carrier said.
Local distributors will truck the milk to supermarkets and convenience stores in Ningbo and Beijing, with fresh milk travelling from cow to container to consumer in China across 10,000 kilometres.
Managing director of VAN Dairy’s parent company, Moon Lake Investments, Sean Shwe, said: “There is a huge demand for fresh milk in China and the key to satisfying that demand is having a reliable freight partner with an established freighter network, infrastructure and support in China and expertise in handling fresh produce – Qantas provides that.”
He continued: “Establishing this trade bridge is an exciting venture for our dairy company, VAN Dairy who produce VAN milk, and opens the door for access for other Tasmanian producers of fresh, perishables such as seafood, fruit and vegetables to air freight their produce on this direct flight to China.”
Moon Lake Investments plans to extend VAN Dairy’s market reach to Shanghai, Hangzhou and other cities in China after the product is established.
