Chocolate

The structural challenge in exporting chocolate to Southeast Asia is heat, and it should be the first conversation rather than a logistics detail. Product formulated for a Canadian ambient chain blooms in tropical conditions: a shelf-presence problem before it is a quality one, and one that surfaces at the retailer rather than at the port.

The options are heat-stable formulation, a temperature-controlled chain, or restricting distribution to air-conditioned modern trade. Each has a cost, and choosing none of them is the expensive path.

Beyond that, specify cocoa content, format, pack size and shelf life under destination conditions. Baking chocolate and couverture are a separate manufacturing trade with their own tempering and viscosity specifications.