“The HKTDC’s business matching specialists put us in touch with this partner and it helped in the design and production of FlowerLight… which had never been done before” said Sharon Lesk, President of FlowerPower Inc.

When FlowerPower Inc, a US-based company which designs and manufactures innovative flower-themed products, was trying to develop new product lines, it looked to the HKTDC Business Matching service. The HKTDC helped identify relevant Hong Kong-based manufacturers matching their business needs and specifications, helping them create several quality products beyond their expectations.

FlowerPower came up with the idea to create artificial flower bouquets with candies, and needed the candy and artificial flower factories to be located close to each other to satisfy the FDA requirements for handling food. However, according to Sharon Lesk, President, sourcing appropriate manufacturers proved far more difficult. “FlowerPower received samples of different styles and types of candy, but none of them was ideal for our FlowerPower Vase.” Then she knocked on the HKTDC door and found the ideal partners.

The candy manufacturer was instrumental in creating the sugar-free candy bouquets. “Our candy factory came up with the composition of our lollipops using isomalt, a natural sugar substitute which was sourced from a German company,” Ms Lesk said. “The artificial flower factory worked very hard to ensure that all the components of the Candy Flower bouquet fit together properly.”

At another time when FlowerPower was looking for an electronics factory to develop artificial flower bouquets with flashing lights, it was again astonished by the superior value the Hong Kong supplier delivered. “The HKTDC’s business matching specialists put us in touch with this partner and it helped in the design and production of FlowerLight. It developed the battery power and electronic chipset to provide 1,500 hours of LED light in six colours. That had never been done before.  And they helped to create this miracle from little more than samples I had cut and pasted together,” said Ms Lesk.

Although the global economic crisis has forced many companies out of business, Ms Lesk believes FlowerPower is uniquely positioned to survive the turmoil. “We offer a range of products at different price points, and that should enable us to remain competitive. The factories introduced to us by the HKTDC make products of the highest quality but at affordable prices. We are very impressed with our Hong Kong suppliers and hope to do business with them for a long time.”

HKTDC Business Matching helps local and overseas companies look for potential partners for business development. For more information, email businessmatching@hktdc.org. You can also call (852) 1830 668, or the Hong Kong Trade Development Council office near you. For more information, click here.