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January 29, 2016

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Trade director shares love for US food, wine

For Valerie Brown, Shanghai is a modern, energetic city that perfectly suits her own character. Despite having been in town for just about 18 months, she already identifies Shanghai as her favorite city in China.

As director of the US Consulate’s Agricultural Trade Office in Shanghai, Brown’s mission is to help US suppliers connect with Chinese buyers, consumers and restaurants. Notably, she is also the first woman to hold this position.

“It’s a dream job that enables me to bring safe and high-quality US food, wines and beverages to my Chinese pengyou (friends). There is nothing better than that — to put people together and help make trade. It’s a win-win job.”

The 48-year-old has also combined her love for wine, food and female empowerment in a group she founded: Women of (American) Wine, or WOW. The group consists mainly of Chinese women.

“WOW is a feeling,” Brown explained. “It’s a feeling of coming together with friends and simply saying ‘wow’ after forgetting about the challenges we face every day: work, children and responsibilities.”

Established last January, WOW includes some 30 core members who organize activities in and around Shanghai. Its list of general members includes 100 individuals, and continues to grow.

“It’s a group of dynamic women. Some are in the trade business, some are key opinion leaders. You don’t actually need to have a good knowledge of wine, because it’s just about coming together with other dynamic women. We support one another, act as cheer leaders for one another,” Brown explained.

“Wine is the core of the group, but it’s not just about drinking wine. It’s also about lifestyle. WOW is a platform that promotes a healthy, thankful, confident and elegant lifestyle among Chinese women.”

Speaking about what inspired her to start the group in the first place, Brown mentioned her own early experience in Shanghai. During the first several months in her new position, she and her team were constantly on the go, even on weekends.

“The only thing that managed to keep coming through the hustle and bustle in my life was wine. I’m a fan of wine myself,” said the director. “The US is sixth on the list of Chinese wine imports. Also I kept getting visitors who were interested in US wine and wanted to do more in the wine industry. Then the idea came up to me. Bringing people together is how we network and grow and learn from one another.

“We organized some excellent activities to enhance women’s knowledge of wine. We encouraged them to talk and share their opinions on how we can make a difference, not just in the wine industry, but also in China overall. We will involve charity in our activities to help children and women in the future, and to work to make a difference in our community.”

Being a single mother of five children — three of her own and two adopted when she was working in Mexico — Brown knows what kind of support women can offer each other.

“Women are able to connect with each other on a level that men can not... We can be a part of other’s lives.”

Brown’s outgoing and enthusiastic personality make her the perfect promoter for WOW. This also helped her adapt quickly to life in China. Of course, a new-found fondness for Chinese cuisine further smoothed the transition.

“Food is an art here. Eating is not just eating, it’s an event... I can feel the love and passion people hold toward food. They want to describe and explain it to me. It’s part of Chinese people’s rich art. I love being the person to receive the information… I love the richness of Chinese history, the diversity, the traditions of Chinese people and the ways that things are done.”




 

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