Going to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand with CIBS was an absolute joy and a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am so thankful to have been able to participate in this program with A&M. It was a wonderful way to explore international business and interact with different areas of industry. I hope that everything that I learned while apart of this program and the growth that I experienced while in it will remain with me forever.
While abroad, our group was able to hear from some great companies which include APAC Advisors, Betagro, Coca-Cola ThaiNamtip, and Thai Airways. Each of the companies was very open and informational, sharing many of the what’s and how’s of production but also difficulties they face with competition or marketing. They were very hospitable towards us and many of them shared with us a gift or meal, really going above and beyond to give us a wonderful experience.
My personal favorite was probably our meeting with Betagro, a food producer and processor operating out of Thailand. They walked us through a lot of their company operation including the raising and maintaining of livestock, developing products, and shipping of those products all around the world. We also learned a small amount about how rushing into the development of a product could be a mistake and how they expect to further grow in the future. We tried some of the prosciutto that they are developing for a cured meat line, sausage chips marketed toward university students, and other pre-packaged snacks.
We were also able to see some more broad overviews of other industries while abroad like the seaport in Singapore or an organic farm while in Thailand. I found that these visits were a great look into the culture and connection of each place. It was a look into the mixture of traditional values and practices with innovation and technology that was so inspiring. I loved every minute of it.