Sarah Ogier, International Brand Manager, TINE International.

Norwegian dairy products Jarlsberg® and TINE Brunost™ were exhibited at the Food & Hospitality Thailand exhibition in QSNCC in Bangkok 20–23 August 2025. The products were on display at the stand of the importer GFP Global Food Products.

TINE International’s International Brand Manager Sarah Ogier was at the stand, promoting the products that also included TINE Cream Cheese.

“It is a good way of bringing Norwegian quality products to new consumers,” Sarah Ogier explains.

TINE products are available in grocery stores in Korea and across Southeast Asia, such as in Singapore and Hong Kong, with plans for further product launches in the Philippines and China. In Thailand, TINE has been available since November last year, but the company is planning to expand its presence in the Thai market. TINE has had global success to a point where 25,000 tons of Jarlsberg is consumed globally every year.

Thus far, the Norwegian dairy giant has seen the most success from sales in retail in Thailand, where, for instance, expats are buying the products in upscale supermarket chains like Foodland, Villa, and Tops. But according to Brand Manager Sarah Ogier, the company is implementing measures to expand. The goal is to push further into the food-service industry to balance out the presence of TINE products in both the private and the corporate sector. In order for that to happen, the products must become more recognizable to consumers. To achieve this, TINE has rolled out a very simple strategy: taste-testing.

Taste-testing helps consumers become familiar with the product being promoted, which has correlated with increases in sales, especially for more complicated products, where a consumer needs to be guided on how best to use the product.

“It’s about educating and inspiring consumers,” Brand Manager Sarah Ogier explains.

Educating consumers is only part of the roll-out. TINE hopes that by intensifying the company’s presence in the food-service sector, more new potential consumers will be exposed to TINE products in restaurants and hotels. The dairy giant hopes consumers will be more likely to pick up TINE products in grocery stores when they have already become familiar with them.

This rollout plan is based on market insights that are specific to Thailand.

“Every market is different; the market plan that we applied in Korea is not necessarily going to work in Thailand,” the brand manager notes.

She also remarks that Thailand is in the midst of a unique transformation. “The food culture is changing. People want access to Western food as well. At the same time, people are becoming more health-conscious, and we intend to be there for the consumer and tell them about the benefits of our products.”