I am very proud to work for such a big company.

Justine Yu worked from Shanghai, China with colleagues in the Netherlands and Belgium to develop an innovative cheese tea solution for the Chinese market. Although Justine experienced some cultural differences, she bridged the cultural gap and created a broader understanding between the teams.

“Making cheese tea is not an easy job; it takes nine different ingredients that are mixed in a specific manner to get the perfect tastes and right balance between sweet, salt and creamy. I worked closely together with the Dutch commercial team and the R&D team in Lummen, Belgium from Shanghai, China to create the right product.”

“I work as a marketing manager at our Shanghai office. I follow and analyse the trends and provide insight into the market and customer needs by doing research. Additionally, I am also involved in digital marketing. The Chinese digital landscape is totally different compared to the western countries, so it requires a specific strategy.”

“All employees of FrieslandCampina are focused on the same final goal and have passion for dairy as well as for our member dairy farmers. That really creates a common ground and helps us to bridge cultural differences when we work together. I have experienced culture differences between the Netherlands and China many times. Showing respect to senior colleagues and a hierarchy structure is the common norm when working in China. Junior colleagues can be more reserved in some cases when they do not agree with others. Due to cultural differences, Dutch young people can sometimes be quite direct. Even when having a conversation with people who are higher in rank or who are much older.”

At FrieslandCampina we trust and respect each other which helps us to collaborate and overcome any difficult situations.

“In September, I gave a presentation about the Chinese business culture to the R&D colleagues on Lummen. By illustrating some funny misunderstandings, I could provide them with more insight into cultural differences. For instance, why the Chinese say “yes” when they mean “no”. I was glad that my suggestion to do this presentation was welcomed so positively. At FrieslandCampina we trust and respect each other which helps us to collaborate and overcome any difficult situations.”

“I am very proud to work for such a big dairy company like FrieslandCampina. Our premium dairy products offer so many opportunities for consumers in China and I am excited to act on those opportunities with the help of my colleagues worldwide!”