Ventures in Development

Mei Xiang Hits Hong Kong

1/6/07.  Big news.  The highly anticipated arrival of our Mei Xiang Yak Cheese into Hong Kong has finally come.  The first batch of our aged cheese, Geza Gold, was successfully shipped into Hong Kong just in time for the opening of NaturoPlus Wholesome Food, a new organic food store and deli located in the up and coming Star Street area in Wan Chai.

Visit Naturo+, at 6 Sun Street, to try our deliciously aged yak cheese today.  Don't know where that is?  Call 2865 0388, or download the map below for the exact location. 

Pair our with one of Naturo+'s flavorful organic wines, and you have the perfect health snack for 2008.

Download nat_cardShop1.jpg

More Shokay Retail Presence in Hong Kong

1/6/07.  The Shokay Baby collection can also be found in HK at the following stores:

Honey Berrie
Harbour City Zone OT G05, TST

Inside
Princes Building 231, Central
The Repulse Bay G115, Repulse Bay

The First HK Summit on Social Enterprise

12/20/07. Ventures in Development was invited to speak at the first Hong Kong Summit on Social Enterprise, which aimed to bring together a wealth of public and private sector leaders, social enterprise practioners, CSR, media and student representatives, and concerned citizens. Kicked off with a speech by HK Chief Executive Donald Tsang, conference participants then benefited from three key note speeches by leading industry practioners from The Young Foundation, The Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau and The Ashoka Foundation.  We then broke out into panel discussion sections, one of which featured Marie So, introducing Shokay as a model for social enterprise development. From the Summit, it became clear that there is a lot of passion, interest and excitement for the development of HK’s social enterprise sector.

During our panel sessions, people raised interesting questions such as the role of the government in funding social enterprises, how to raise solve social issues in an innovative manner, and how can individuals learn how to start up and run these organizations, to name a few. Much follow up needs to be done by both the Home Affairs Bureau and individual organizations to engage current and future leaders to continue this important dialogue. We are very excited to be a part of the leadership driving the burgeoning social enterprise scene in HK. Thank you to the Home Affairs Bureau, we hope to see a Second SE Summit in 2008!

The First Shokay Company Retreat

12/3/07. Despite the hectic preparations for meeting our holiday production schedule, the Shokay team decided to take a time out for a day trip to Chong Ming Island to visit our women’s cooperative of hand-knitters, embarking on our very first Shokay retreat.

The Shokay team has just blown out it’s one year birthday candle, but as the months have passed, so the team has grown. We now have a total of twenty-four employees engaged in all aspects of the Shokay business, and we all gathered in Shanghai for the outing to Chong Ming.

Jingle bells, jingle bells...

11/7/07. As we fast approach the holiday giving season, let Shokay ease your shopping worries.  Whether it's a scarf for Dad, a pair of mittens for your girlfriend,  a baby set for your new cousin, or a cozy blanket for snuggling on the couch, Shokay has something for everyone. We'€™ve launched our hand-knit collection of home, fashion and baby accessories, which means you can choose your own colors to custom create the perfect gift. (Shokay Color Card)

We will be at a variety of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing shows and bazaars over the next two months. Please find one near you! We also arrange private sales for you and your closest friends. Contact us at info@shokay.com, for further information.  

Upcoming Shows, Fairs and Bazaars:

Hong Kong
The Conrad Gift and Lifestyle Fair
Monday, November 12, 2007

Shanghai
The Shanghai Community International School Bazaar
Saturday, November 17

AWCS Bazaar
Tuesday, November 20 

AWSG Coffee Morning
Wednesday, November 21

Concordia Bazaar
Saturday, November 24 

Season’s Villa Bazaar
Sunday, November 25

German Christmas Bazaar
Friday, November 30 – Sunday, December 2 

Dulwich College Bazaar
Saturday, December 1

Beijing
WAB Bazaar
Saturday, November 24

The London Knitting Show

10/11/07. Shokay’s one-of-a-kind presence was a big hit at the recent London Knitting Show. Placed next to our exotic neighbors such as quivet, beautiful hand spun and dyed yarns, beautiful designs by Fiona Bailey, the Knitted River for Ending Water Poverty (see link) - this proved to be an interesting show.

Traffic was unbeatable as bus loads of people continued to arrive at Alexandra Palace (aka Ally Pally) for the duration of the four day show. People oohed and aahed over our variety of yak yarn and “Knit a Yak” seemed to be the favorite project for knitters – old and young/ male and female alike.

Shop for Shokay in Hong Kong

11/7/07.  Since last year, Shokay has been selling in both Ovo and Kou Concepts, two fabulous retail outlets in Hong Kong. We’ve recently added new items to our existing product lines. Visit the stores to feel the yak difference for yourself.

Ovo
G/f 16 Queens Road East, Wan Chai - 2526 7226

Kou Concept
22/f Fung House, 19-20 Connaught Road, Central - 2530 2234

Banyan Tree Bonanza

For those of you high fliers out there, you can now try our Mei Xiang Cheese at the beautiful Banyan Tree Ringha resort, located in Ringha, Shangri-la.  We have been serving Banyan Tree since 2006. Chef Tony will be featuring our cheese in several of his scrumptious dishes.  In addition, the chefs at the Banyan Tree Lijiang, have consistently featured our yak cheese in their Yak Cheese Tart, pictured here.  Yes, it is as delicious as it looks!

Navigating Our Way With “The Compass”

Shangri-la opens its arms to a great new concept restaurant called, “The Compass: café, lodge and consultancy.” With tourism in the region on a constant rise, we can’t help but notice that the same kinds of shops, restaurants and hotels keep popping up all over the place. However, The Compass provides Shangri-la’s  Old Town with a fresh new breath of air. Owned by several well traveled Singaporean and American families, they serve delicious meals, mouth watering baked goods, homemade granola and are now featuring our Mei Xiang cheese in their pizza and pasta dishes!  In addition, we sell our take-away snack packs of cheese at their front counter; perfect for day hikes or long bus rides to neighboring destinations.  For those of you who want a different experience in Shangri-la, book a room at The Compass, and enjoy a nice pizza, perfectly accented with Mei Xiang cheese, fired in their hand-built brick oven.   

Cheese website moved!

Announcement: Our yak cheese website has migrated from www.shangrilacheese.com to www.meixiangcheese.com!