For thousands of years indigenous Australians relied on the sweet oysters that grow on the country’s east coast as a vital source of protein. Now a start-up backed by a Chinese port owner wants to transform the shellfish into a global luxury food brand for the Asian market.
数千年来，澳大利亚土著居民一直依赖生长在该国东海岸的鲜甜生蚝作为一种重要的蛋白质来源。如今，获得中国一家港口所有者投资的澳大利亚初创企业East 33希望将这种贝类变为一个面向亚洲市场的全球奢侈食品品牌。
But Sydney-based East 33’s grand plan has been hampered by a growing trade dispute with Beijing, which threatens up to A$6bn ($4.6bn) of Australian exports to China covering a range of products from lobsters to wine.
但总部位于悉尼的East 33的宏伟计划，受到了日益加剧的澳中贸易争端的打击。这场争端威胁着澳大利亚对中国高达60亿澳元（合46亿美元）的出口，涉及从龙虾到葡萄酒等一系列产品。
“The Sydney rock oyster should be our native version of French champagne or Beluga caviar — it’s about premium, heritage, rarity and provenance,” said James Garton, co-founder of East 33.
East 33的联合创始人詹姆斯•加顿(James Garton)表示：“悉尼岩蚝应该成为我们国家的品牌，就像法国香槟或大白鲟鱼子酱(Beluga Caviar)一样——关乎品质、传承、稀有性和原产地。”
Mr Garton has worked for three years to establish the first distribution channel for Australian oysters into China. But geopolitical tensions have forced him to pause his Chinese aspirations on the advice of his partner, Xingqi Gao, the founder of Shanghai Changxing Fishing Port, who owns an 8 per cent stake in East 33. Instead, the company will initially focus on alternative Asian export markets.
加顿已经为建立澳大利亚生蚝进入中国市场的首条分销渠道努力了三年。但在地缘政治紧张的背景下，加顿听从其合伙人、上海长兴岛渔港有限公司创始人高幸奇的建议，不得不暂时放下进军中国市场的雄心。高幸奇持有East 33公司8%的股份。现在，East 33将转而聚焦于其他亚洲出口市场。