EXECUTIVEPROFILE
All
the
cheese
in China,
delivered fresh
Jean Pierre Chesse is the founder and CEO of Sinodis, a food importer and cold chain lo-
gistics service provider in China. CHaINA’s editor, Russel Beron spoke with Mr. Chesse about
the company’s origins and future growth plans in China.
: How long have you been in China? their own Carrefour brand products which we are still do-
Jean Pierre Chesse (JPC): 15 years. I came here when ing 10 years later. We then expanded our suppliers from
I was 23 to work for a French pharmaceutical company, different countries. We dealt with many crises, such as the
Sanofi. They used to have a food business and I was in dioxine crisis or mad cow disease in Europe. 2001 was a
charge of launching food products in China. I did that for 3 big year for us, when we expanded to food services includ-
years from 1993-1996 and learnt how to import and dis- ing hotel, restaurant, bakery products and catering. That
tribute product in China. We introduced processed cheese grew very quickly, compared with the retail business.
to the Chinese market.
Why did they choose you?
What was the market like then? JPC: They didn’t have a reliable company able to provide
JPC: It was the first time foreign cheese was introduced them with what they need. I always say that 60-70 percent
in China. There was no market. We were introducing some- of our business is about supply chain. It’s all about the abil-
thing to people who didn’t want to buy it. ity to move the product from point A which is 10,000 kilo-
meters away to point B, which is a receiving yard of a hotel
Do Chinese people like Cheese now? or a supermarket, in a good condition with the perfect
JPC: It’s getting better now. 15 years ago it was a small temperature and that is what we become very strong at.
business. So I worked there for 3 years and set up Sino-
dis in 1996. Sinodis now has been running 13 years and What happened with your restructuring in 2003,
along the way, we’ve done all the mistakes as you can what did you do?
imagine. JPC: We shortened people and we stopped the non-prof-
itable part of our business. From 2004 to 2008, average
What were the some of growth per year was 40-45 percent. In 2008 we had no
the biggest mistakes? debt and a 5 year track record of massive growth and
JPC: Well, mistakes like strong profit. More and more brands wanted to work with
basically assuming that us and our distribution networks were expanding, it was
once you get the channel very frustrating to develop only on auto financing and
of import and distribution that’s why we accepted the offer from Edmond de Roth-
then you can sell every- schild Private Equity China to become a minority investor.
thing. That was the wrong The investment will allow us to boost our operations in the
assumption. Management next few years.
mistakes, like trying to
grow too fast. Where is the money going?
JPC: the first thing we did was to open a 5,000 square
What was the next stage meter distribution center in Shanghai. It is 100 percent
in your business? operational and is already full. We have about 1,500
JPC: JPC: Initially we rep- square meters of 15 degree, about 800 square meters
resented French products of 5 degree and about 300 square meters of minus 18
only, then we contracting degree. We also have 2,000 square meters of dry goods
with Carrefour to import with packing facilities inside.
10 MAY/JUNE 2009
www.chainaonline.com
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