Paris Croissant-Berjaya Food joint venture to target halal market

A rendering of the halal plant that will be built in Malaysia in June 2023 [SPC GROUP]

Paris Croissant established a joint venture in Malaysia with Berjaya Food, planning to build a manufacturing facility in the country to target the growing halal market.

Paris Baguette Singapore, Paris Croissant’s wholly owned subsidiary in Singapore, established the joint venture called Berjaya Paris Baguette.

Berjaya Food is a Kuala Lumpur-based food company that runs brands such as Starbucks and Jollibean in the country.

Paris Baguette Singapore will invest 40 billion won ($31 million) to build a food manufacturing facility in Nusajaya Tech Park, located in the city of Johor Bahru. The industrial park is located near the Port of Tanjung, making shipments to nearby Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern countries faster.

High ranking personnel of Paris Croissant's SPC Group have been meeting with Malaysian government officials such as YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, minister of international trade and industry, since last year to discuss possible investments in the country.

The plant will be built in a 16,500-square-meter (177,600-square-foot) lot, with construction expected to be completed in June 2023. Around 100 types of pastries, cakes and sauces will be made at the plant.

The plant will obtain halal certification to target the growing halal market. There are an estimated 1.9 billion Muslims in the world, some 24 percent of the population.

Following the joint venture, Malaysia will get its first Paris Baguette in Kuala Lumpur by end of this year.

“We plan to tap into the global halal food market, worth 2,500 trillion won, by building a halal production plant in Malaysia,” said Hur Jin-soo, president of Paris Croissant. “We will continue to make big investments and expand our global business.”

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]