Digging deep: Taiwanese firm banks on deep ocean minerals to drive global expansion plans
The firm — which calls itself "the largest deep ocean water company in Asia" — intends to distribute its trademark mix of deep ocean minerals, called D-MINNERALZ, to the rest of the APAC region and Europe.
While it has a range of finished products, which are sold domestically under the Taiwan Yes brand, its focus for export is D-MINNERALZ.
Miracle minerals?
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, assistant sales manager Janet Hsu said, "All our products — including bottled water, sea salt, skincare and cosmetics — are based on D-MINNERALZ.
"It has sports nutrition applications, and can help to relieve fatigue, prevent bone loss, regulate blood pressure, and lower cholesterol."
According to a research paper published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, D-MINNERALZ was found to enhance recovery following exhaustive physical activity.
Another study, published in the Biology of Sport journal, showed that supplementation with nigari, a deep seawater concentrate, improved gerbils' exercise performance on treadmills.
Hsu said: "We developed D-MINNERALZ because we know the human body cannot rely on just one ingredient or mineral. This is why our product contains over 70 minerals and trace elements, which the body cannot generate by itself."
These minerals and trace elements include magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium.
Early stages
Though Taiwan Yes has been operational since 2006, Hsu revealed that export-wise, it is still in its early stages.
Currently, its biggest export market is China, where it has supplied D-MINNERALZ to numerous manufacturers for the development of finished products, including health foods, supplement, and functional beverages.
The firm has also just received official approval to distribute D-MINNERALZ in Thailand, and is awaiting approval for the same in Indonesia.
Its other markets include Singapore and Malaysia, and it plans to export to Korea, Japan, India, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand.
There are, however, no plans to export its range of Taiwan Yes finished products.
Hsu explained, "We are quite new to the market and are focusing on ingredient export, because we see great potential for product development overseas."
Furthermore, as part of its plan to export outside APAC, Taiwan Yes will also be an exhibitor at this year's Vitafoods Europe trade show.
Hsu said: "We are indeed looking for distributors in Europe, and have established a strategic partnership with a Hong Kong company to facilitate communications with potential partners. But since this is still in its beginning stages, I can't reveal anything more at the moment."
Nature-proof?
According to Hsu, Taiwan Yes has been perfecting its process for over a decade. Its facility, located in Hualien along Taiwan's east coastline to the Pacific Ocean, employs equipment made in Europe, Japan and the US.
In fact, when it first began laying the foundation for its deep ocean mineral extraction process, it engaged Japanese engineers and scientists to advise its team and install the pipes needed for the process, as "the Japanese are known for their strict commitment to quality".
Hsu added: "Hualien's geographical features are ideal for extracting deep ocean minerals, but the country is prone to earthquakes, especially in Hualien.
"We invested hundreds of millions of US dollars into this project, and since 2006, there have been big and small earthquakes in the area, but the pipes have been unaffected."
This has no doubt buoyed Taiwan Yes' confidence in its business and product, and Hsu said this would put the firm on track to "increase our brand awareness on the international market".
Taiwan Yes will also be exhibiting at this year's Vitafoods Asia trade show in September.
