Call him a pioneer. Australian Max Grundmann, 59, made an early move into China in 1996 contracting a Beijing factory to manufacture his designs of white porcelain. He was one of the enlightened few who saw the potential of manufacturing in the low-wage country and exporting to the world - long before globalisation had become a household term.
His vision of producing designer ware at high standards and reasonable cost found appeal in the consumer markets of the west, flourishing into the recognised Australian brand Maxwell & Williams (M&W). Now, with the financial firepower for the next move, his challenge is to reverse direction and lead the charge to attract China's growing middle class. Will foreign brands produced in China find appeal among the rising affluent class?
That's a big question he aims to solve by incremental investments. The first step was introducing the brand to Hong Kong last year where they are sold through trendy home-ware chains G.O.D. and indigo.
At first glance, he says Hong Kong is a stretch in itself as the city sustains only about eight good designer retail chains, compared to the hundreds in Australia. But early sales data has been encouraging.
'It confirms that consumers across the Asia-Pacific region now demand home-ware products,' Mr Grundmann says.
Company sales in Australia are about A$120 million ($702 million) a year. He has engaged a locally based distributor to help develop the M&W brand throughout the region.
One challenge has been finding the right match between retailer and product image. Several stores were rejected because they seemed out of step with modern consumers. Those that were approved had the right feel.