Cold chain logistics company Seafrigo has opened its first office in Vietnam. At the same time, it has appointed Fabian Hautiere to head up operations in the country as managing director.

In a statement, Seafrigo, which specialises in food logistics, said a new office in Vietnam aligns with the Group's long-term growth strategy to develop its own operations in key locations around the globe. 

The new office is located in Ho Chi Minh City, the country's economic capital, with easy access to the main ports and airports. It is also home to the leading exporters of seafood and fruit.

"Vietnam will be both an air and ocean operation and will cater to exports and imports," Seafrigo said, adding that the country is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing economies in South East Asia with an average GDP growth rate of 6% for the last 15 years (excluding the 2 years of COVID where the growth rate was +2.7%).

The country also has Free Trade Agreements with trading partners, including the European Union (EU0 and Asia-Pacific countries.

Seafrigo said Hautiere joins Seafrigo from Kuehne Nagel, where he was the national key account manager specialising in consumer goods. 

"This is an exciting time to be setting up the Seafrigo business in Vietnam in its own right. There are many specialist products such as pangasius, shrimp, dragon fruit, mangoes, etc, to name just a few, where we will be using our team's cold chain logistics expertise to bring these goods to markets around the world both by air and ocean," said Hautiere.

"With my long-standing experience in Vietnam, I already knew Seafrigo well. I used and approved their services as an importer in the past, so I am well versed in the company's passion for excellence and its commitment to the highly specialised chilled and fine foods business; joining them was a natural choice," he added.