Vitasoy Doubles Production Capacity in Southern China with New Foshan Plant

HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Vitasoy International Holdings Limited ("VIHL" or "the Group") (SEHK Code: 0345), a Hong Kong-based manufacturer, marketer and distributor of non-carbonated beverages and food, today celebrated the official opening of its seventh plant globally at Foshan, in Guangdong in China.

In attendance at the opening ceremony of the Vitasoy Foshan Plant were the Group's Executive Chairman, Mr Winston Lo; Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Larry Eisentrager; Group Senior Director, Finance and Administration, Ms Kitty Fung; Managing Director of Vitasoy (China) Investments Company Limited, Mr Jack Yuan; Chairperson of Chinese Beverage Industry Association, Ms Zhao Ya-li; Executive Vice President of Chinese Soybean Industry Association, Mr Liu Deng-gao; and representatives of Foshan authorities, Vitasoy management and local and overseas business partners to share the memorable occasion with the Group.

Mr Winston Lo, Executive Chairman of Vitasoy Group, said at the ceremony, "Vitasoy was one of the first enterprises to enter Mainland China in the late 1970s. Over the years, the Group has invested in the Mainland including establishing the Shenzhen and Shanghai plants, and has proudly supported the economic development of China. The China market has been a significant growth engine for us and the inauguration of Vitasoy Foshan plant is another major milestone and the start of a new chapter in Vitasoy's business development in Mainland. It also demonstrates our strong dedication in developing the market."

Based in Hong Kong, Vitasoy Group also has production facilities in Mainland China, Australia, the United States and Singapore. Vitasoy China adopts a focused business strategy to drive the growth of sales and market share. VITASOY is now the leading brand in the packaged soymilk market in China. In the financial 2010/2011 year, revenue from Vitasoy's China business was HK$854 million, representing 26% of the Group's total turnover.

Vitasoy Group is investing about HK$500 million in its Foshan plant, which is around 80,000 square metres in area for the site as a whole. Its bottling and paper-pack manufacturing lines are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and the automated production facilities include the most advanced high-speed packaging line that can process 24,000 units per hour. The plant also has its own product development and quality assurance departments.

The Foshan plant is designed with care for the environment, in keeping with the Chinese government's call to protect the environment. For instance, the plant has put fibre-reinforced plastic in the ceilings to let in more natural light, insulating glass windows to enhance heat insulation, and used "green" bricks and recyclable structural steel to build the plant. The boundary wall and some furniture such as tables and chairs are made of recycled packaging paper. The plant uses gas-fired boilers to convert natural gas into heat with low emissions of waste gas. Heat energy will be recovered from production equipment. It also has a waste water treatment plant.

Mr Winston Lo said, "The commissioning of the Vitasoy Foshan plant will help alleviate current capacity constraints in our China business and will enable us to double our production capacity in southern China to cope with the rapid growth in demand. Looking ahead, we will continue to further develop in Guangdong and neighbouring provinces and strengthen our leading position in Chinese soymilk market."

Outlook of Vitasoy Foshan Plant.

Mr. Winston Lo, Executive Chairman, Vitasoy International Holdings Limited, at the press conference for Vitasoy Foshan Plant.

The Opening Ceremony of Vitasoy Foshan plant was officiated by Mr. Winston Lo, Executive Chairman, Vitasoy International Holdings Limited (centre); Mr. Chen Jin-ai, General Manager, Shenzhen GuangMing Group (4th from left); Ms Zhao Ya-li, President, Chinese Beverage Industry Association (3rd from right); Mr. Liu Deng-gao, Executive Vice-President, Chinese Soya Bean Industry Association (3rd from left); Mr. Liu Ming-en, Deputy Head of Nanhai District (2nd from right); Mr. Larry Eisentrager, Group CEO of Vitasoy (2nd from left); Mr. Eric Yu, Group Senior Director – Manufacturing & Project Management of Vitasoy (right); Mr. Jack Yuan, Managing Director, Vitasoy (China) Investments Ltd. (left)

The photos can be downloaded at the following link:

http://www.ketchum.com.hk/knprhk/Vitasoy/Foshan_Plant_photo.7z

About Vitasoy

Vitasoy International Holdings Limited is one of the leading manufacturer and distributor of non-carbonated drinks, based in Hong Kong. Founded in 1940 and with production facilities in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Australia, the United States and Singapore, Vitasoy currently provides consumers in 40 markets worldwide with over 1,000 stock keeping units. Over the years, Vitasoy has successfully established a corporate image as "the Soy Expert". Vitasoy is a constituent stock of the Morgan Stanley Capital International ("MSCI") Hong Kong Small Cap Index, Hang Seng Composite Index, Heng Seng Composite SmallCap Index and Hang Seng Composite Industry Index – Consumer Goods.

Vitasoy website: www.vitasoy.com