Established in 2001 and listed on the Singapore Exchange in 2006, China Essence Group Ltd. ("China Essence" or the "Group") is one of the largest integrated producers of potato products in the People's Republic of China, manufacturing potato starch, potato starch-based products such as vermicelli, starch strips and five-grain noodles, and potato by-products such as potato protein and animal feed. We also produce modified starch, which can be applied in a diverse range of industries such as textile, paper, adhesives, oil and mining, pharmaceutical and personal care and cosmetics.

China Essence is headquartered in Beijing and operates five production facilities strategically located in Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia Provinces, where we enjoy close proximity to an abundant supply of high quality potatoes. These facilities have 17 production lines, of which eight are for the production of potato starch, one for modified starch, six for potato starch-based products, and two for potato by-products including potato protein and animal feed.

The annual production capacity for potato starch has increased from 170,000 tonnes to 250,000 tonnes with the addition of two new facilities in Nenjiang and Zhalantun in 2010. To further develop the potato by-product segment, the Group has also double the existing production capacity of potato protein from 8,000 tonnes to 16,000 tonnes, and the production capacity of animal feed from 80,000 tonnes to 160,000 tonnes in 2010. Production capacity of potato starch-based products is 22,000 tonnes, while that of modified starch is 18,000 tonnes.

ISO-certified since 2004, China Essence places strong emphasis on R&D and quality assurance to produce high quality products and expand our product range. As testament to our R&D capabilities, we successfully cultivated an imported species of potato in Daqing, which has a shorter maturity period and higher starch yield, enabling an extension of the potato starch production cycle. We have also successfully developed our proprietary five-grain noodles in 2002, where the product's high elasticity, strength and smoothness make it a preferred substitute for traditional noodles. In 2009, we successfully launched and started the commercial sale of two new potato by-products, potato protein and animal feed, which is expected to be a key growth driver for China Essence moving forward.

Over the years, we have established a strong reputation as a trusted manufacturer of high quality potato starch and potato starch-based products. We market our high quality products under the brand names "Bigang" (碧港), "Dongbei" (东北) and "Buffalo" (水牛), through our extensive network of distributors spanning 48 cities in 21 provinces and municipalities within the PRC. To further expand our sales channels and extend our market reach, China Essence has also started selling products directly to large food and noodle manufacturers in the PRC.