TENGZHOU, China – In an office reeking of cigarettes, Dang Yangyang slouches on a black leather sofa in exhaustion. The general manager at Wintop Food has spent recent days chaperoning clients from Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Russia and Senegal. They all want the same thing: Chinese chicken.
Wintop processes 60 million chickens annually, selling breasts, nuggets, meatballs and dumplings to more than 20 countries. Exports accounted for half of its profits last year and are underwriting 33 acres of expansion.
“International clients used to distrust the quality,” Dang, 44, said during a tour of his facilities in August. “But when the meat is $1,000 cheaper per ton than Brazilian and Thai competitors, they have to either buy from China or lose out.”
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.