Bangkok--22 Feb--Betagro Group
Betagro Group is working in partnership with Thailand Culinary Academy (TCA) to train and develop next-generation Thai chefs, and enable them to compete in the global arena. The Group will also provide high quality food products to support the chef training programme, and encourage knowledge sharing on food safety to further supply human resources of high calibre to the food industry.
Betagro Group chief executive officer Vanus Taepaisitphongse and TCA president and founder Willment Leong recently signed an agreement at Betagro Group headquarters to support the culinary organisation in fostering a higher level of professionalism among young Thai chefs. The collaboration is expected to help increase competitiveness of young professionals in the country’s culinary sector through knowledge sharing activities that will lead to further development of high quality and safe food production.
Athapol Uraipriwan, Senior Vice President Corporate Marketing Office, Betagro Group, said, “As a leader in high quality food product manufacturing and food safety, human resource development is the heart of our focus and has always been integrated into our business operations. Skills enhancement and knowledge optimisation have been adopted for our staff, customers, partners and anyone involved, both in the agricultural and food production sectors.”
He also said, “The younger generation is one of our target groups for promoting the culinary arts and profession. Because this young generation will be a future driving force for the food manufacturing industry, we have been organising a series of activities to inspire them and help to ensure they are prepared for the competitive environment that lies ahead in the food industry, both in terms of quality and professionalism. The Betagro Food Safety Academy with a mission to campaign for and create greater awareness of food safety among students is part of this effort.”
Thailand Culinary Academy was founded by Chef Willment, a powerhouse in the food industry whose vision is to nurture culinary professionalism as well as to develop a new generation of chefs. His partnership with Betagro will bring to the local food industry a professional upgrade in skills development of young people and their competitiveness in the global arena. To make this possible, Betagro will provide high quality food products such as pork, chicken, eggs and sausages for the chef training programme. Additionally, Chef Willment will participate in the Cooking Knowledge sessions designed especially for the company’s staff and its customers, and create new recipes that use Betagro products as main ingredients.
“Thailand Culinary Academy is a non-profit organisation founded by a group of prominent Thai and international chefs who are willing to dedicate themselves to training and enhancing skills of young culinary professionals — without charge,” said Chef Willment. “Since its inception in 2009, TCA has sent chefs to compete in many international competitions. They have accumulated a lot of experience and won accolades from internationally recognised competitions, ultimately bringing pride and reputation to Thailand.”
In 2012, TCA representatives won top places in MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge 2012 (Australia), 2012 International Food Fair (Korea), FHA 2012 Culinary Challenge (Singapore), and The Penang Chef Challenge 2012 (Malaysia). They also won three gold medals in the Professional Chef category, and one gold medal in the Youth Chef category from IKA/Culinary Olympics, Erfurt in Germany, which is considered the world’s most prestigious culinary competition held every four year. It was the first time for Thailand sending youth teams to compete.
As a main sponsor for Thailand Culinary Academy, Betagro believes its effort will further develop Thailand’s culinary profession, especially among the young generation who will be participating in many upcoming international competitions. For 2013, their schedule includes Disciples of Escoffier International (Italy), WA OceanaFest (Australia), Hong Kong International Culinary Classic 13 (HOFEX 2013), Battle of the Chefs: Penang Chefs Challenge (Malaysia), Copa Culinaria de las Americas, Pura Vida (Costa Rica) and FHC China 2013 (Shanghai, China). By participating in these competitions, TCA representatives stand to gain the most from practical knowledge sharing and professional growth which will benefit the future development of Thailand’s food manufacturing industry as a whole.
For more information, please contact :
Corporate Communications Division
Theeranuch Wannasai Tel. 0 2833 8315 E-mail
[email protected]
Wipapana Amornsak Tel. 0 2833 8316 E-mail
[email protected]
Kanitta Lunpa Tel. 0 2833 8317 E-mail
[email protected]