ScandAsia Thailand - January 2017

JAN 2017

Business Sweden in Southeast Asia busier than ever

Vivianne Gillman

oversees the Mekong region BUSINESS

PEOPLE

COMMUNITY

Lifestyle

Sapparot Group expands into Thonglor

The Danish teacher Catrine Carøe

DCCT welcomes new Secretary-General

Finnish boat brand in Pattaya

JAN 20

17

Past Events

Danes attend Bangkok Patana School’s International Day

den ss Swe Businetheast in Sou than ever busier e Gillman n

1

2 December 2016 was the International Dat AT Bangkok Patana School, with lots of Danes in attendance!

Every year Bangkok Patana International school arranges International Day for the currently 61 nationalities on the school; it is the biggest festive event of the year for the kids and replaces all the religious holidays that you would have at a normal school but cannot have with many different religions and cultures in one school.

The event star ts with a parade with all nationalities representing their nation’s flag.

Afterwards there is a cultural show with performances from various countries and it ends with an International Food tasting where the 2000 students, parents and teachers are invited to taste specialties from the various countries.

America had a popcorn machine, Switcherland a chocolate fountain and Denmark served hindbærsnitter, pebernødder, æbleskiver and frikadeller.

This year the theme was recycle, reduce

nn Mekong regio Vivia sees the over

ESS BUSIN p

Grou Sapparot into Thonglor expands

PEOPLE teacher ish The DanCarøe Catrine

UNITY COMM omes

welc DCCT etary-General new Secr

le Lifesty

boat Finnish Pattaya brand in

Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Thailand and reuse and the Danish exhibition got a lot of positive feedback from the posters borrowed from the Danish Embassy focusing on the environment, clean water, biking etc.

Source: Embassy of Denmark in Bangkok

DTCC Glögg Networking

ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Thailand.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www. scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166- , Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Managing Editor: Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com Journalist: Frederik Guy Hoff Sonne

O

n 15 December the Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce held a “Glögg Networking” in the spirit of Christmas celebrations at the Royal Danish Embassy in downtown Bangkok.

The event was made into a truly Scandinavian treatment with glögg wine served complete with aebleskiver, Christmas cookies and sweets. Fyn Bakery served their famous Hot Dogs.

At the networking the chamber was also honoured to present Michael Andersen as their new Secretar y-General (position previously labeled Executive Director).

Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Printing : Inthanon Interprint Co., Ltd.

Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com January 2017 • ScandAsia.Thailand 3

January 2017

ScandAsia Community 3

3 6

Danes at Bangkok Patana School’s International Day DTCC Glögg Networking New Nordic Festival in Jomtien

7 Ms. Catrine Carøe

Danes Worldwide’s Danish teacher in Bangkok

10 Business Sweden in Mekong region

3

9 Mr. Knut Randheim

Swedish bartender now manages Colombian brand in SEA

ScandAsia Business 8 Axopar at Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show

3

The Finnish brand caught all the attention

14 Sapparot Group expanding

The Swedes behind Rocket Coffeebar and Hyde & Seek have entered Thonglor

13 Mr. Jonas Sjöstedt

Hotelier in Pattaya wins environmental awards with his two hotels

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4 ScandAsia.Thailand • January 2017

Community

New Nordic Music Festival returns in 2017

By Maria Jønsson

F

or the second year in a row, you can kick off the new year at the New Nordic Music Festival with three weeks of concerts by world famous artists from Norway and Sweden. In the beginning of 2016, New Nordic took a big leap forward when they organised their very first music festival at the outdoor venue in the garden of New Nordic Marcus in Pattaya. Both holiday guests and local expats were invited to a total of nine concerts with famous musicians from the North.

According to Bjørn Holbæk-Hanssen, who is the promoter of the New Nordic Music Festival, the festival was a success, and New Nordic was suddenly on the map as a provider of high quality events with great atmosphere. Therefore, after that first success, New Nordic has decided to throw their second music festival, this time even bigger.

“In 2017, we have taken another step forward and invited more famous international artists,” Bjørn Holbæk-Hanssen says.

He says that New Nordic’s vision is to create a community in Pratumnak Hill where the customers not only come to stay in their apartments, but also become a part of a vibrant village, explaining that entertainment is a big part of this vision.

“Since the ver y beginning, New Nordic has arranged weekly enter tainments for our 6 ScandAsia.Thailand • January 2017

guests, and over the last few years, live music and other forms of entertainment have become very important,” Bjørn Holkbæk-Hanssen says and explains that they now have more focus on professional artists.

So from 16 January to 4 February 2017, the second edition of the New Nordic Music Festival will be held at New Nordic Marcus in Pattaya.

According to Bjørn Holbæk-Hanssen, the eight concerts at the 2016 edition were almost sold out, which is why they in 2017 have decided to throw no less than 11 concer ts with top famous artists from Norway and Sweden.

During the three weeks, you will have the chance to listen to Tommy Körberg. The Swedish singer is mostly known for his time as a musical actor, where he has had success in both London, New York and Sweden, and for what he has won several prizes. But Tommy Körberg is also one of Scandinavia’s best singers with more than 40 released albums since 1969 – the last one in 2012 which is called Songs for drinkers and thinkers.

Norwegian ELG, who is also known as Øjvind Elgenes, will also be playing during the festival.This singer is from one of Norway’s most popular bands, the rock band Dance With A Stranger, but in addition to this, he has also released five solo albums. He and Dance With A Stranger have been awarded four Spellemannsprisen, which is the Norwegian answer to the Grammy Award, in

1988 and 1991.

Also Swedish Tommy Nilsson is to be found on stage during the festival. He is one of Sweden’s most popular ar tists who has released nine albums and a lot of singles with three no 1 hits in the charts.Tommy Nilsson was given an award for best Swedish male artist, and in 1990, he received a gold disc for his album Follow The Road.

Next on the list is a real rock ’n’ roll entertainer – Stephen Ackles. This beloved Norwegian vocalist, pianist and songwriter has worked with a number of world-renowned ar tists such as Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Linda Gail Lewis, and many others. In addition, he has released 15 albums and participated in numerous TV-shows in Norway.

Last, but definitely not least, is Swedish Jan Johansen who is well-known in Scandinavia. He has had five top 10 hits in the charts where the song ”Se på meg” was the biggest no 1 hit both in Sweden and in Norway. The song stayed at the top of the charts for 15 weeks, charting for thirty weeks in total.

The New Nordic Music Festival takes place from 16 January to 4 February 2017 at New Nordic Marcus in Pattaya. The ticket price is at 1,500 baht, and this does not only include the 11 concerts, but also an international buffet.

Tickets can be ordered at events@newnordic.com, or by telephone: +66 061 490 0055.

The gift of learning the mother tounge

Community

Catrine Carøe teaches Danish in Bangkok

By Maria Jønsson

W

alking down the halls of NIST International School in Bangkok, you will hear children speaking languages from all over the world.

Spanish, German, Hindi, Thai and Mandarin. And right there, squeezed in between two Mandarin classes, in the room with the slanted, dusty blue walls, in the middle of all the urban chaos, is a small, Danish oasis. An oasis, where the walls are decorated with the Queen of Denmark, Danish words, and the letters Æ, Ø and Å, in which the children can learn and speak Danish, taught by their teacher Catrine Carøe.

Since early Summer 2016, Danes Worldwide

are arranging Danish lessons in Bangkok, which are all led by 28-year-old Catrine Carøe. Not only at NIST, but also at the international schools of ISB, ELC and Pattana. The classes usually last for around an hour, during which Catrine and the children discuss any subject that Danes Worldwide have chosen for them. Catrine Carøe explains that being a Danish teacher abroad is very rare, which is why she feels very lucky and thankful for her new job.

“It’s such a small language, so you have to bring a lot of people together to get the finances and actually get a job up and running. It is very special,” she says.

Seven years ago, in 2009, Catrine chose to

start studying to become a teacher, because she likes working with children and helping them.

She believes that the two most important things you need for a society to work, are health and education. And that to create development in a society, one must hold wisdom and knowledge about the world they live in.

“My goal is to create good human beings who understand that they are a part of a greater consistency, and through that help making the world a better place,” Catrine Carøe says.

For her, the most impor tant thing in the Danish Learning Center, along with teaching Danish language, litterateur and grammar, is to strengthen the Danish culture and community there is in Thailand.

Jimmy Jensen lives in Thailand and has two children attending the Danish language programme. He agrees with Catrine when it comes to maintaining the Danish affiliation through these classes.

“The intentions about this are slightly deeper for us who live out here. And also, if we choose to go back to Denmark at some point, our children have the opportunity to be included in the Danish system faster,” say Jimmy.

Catrine Carøe agrees: “I think that it is very important for the children to be able to follow the conversations when they go to Denmark and talk to their cousins, grandmother and grandfather.

That they have a common frame of reference,” Catrine Carøe says and explains that she also finds it very important to help maintaining the children’s Danish language competences, in case they ever want to go back to Denmark to study.

Mai Ellegaard is Danes Wor ldwide’s representative in Thailand, and also has a boy attending the Danish language programme. For her, it is also about keeping as many doors open as possible.

“I don’t want to slam any doors for my son, so that when he is 16 years old, he will come to me saying; ‘Honestly, mom, what have you done?

Why haven’t you talked Danish with me and sent me to a Danish school?’ If he at one point wants to start studying in Denmark,” she says, explaining that this situation would make her feel really bad.

Both Mai Ellegaard and Jimmy Jensen believes in the Danish language programme’s potential to become something greater in time.

“I could easily imagine that this could become truly great at some point. There are many people out there who had not yet heard about it, but are now starting to hear a little about it,” Mai Ellegaard says.

“This could very well become a real school, as you have seen it in other countries,” Jimmy Jensen adds.

January 2017 • ScandAsia.Thailand 7

Business

Finnish sells without pretties Attention-grabbing Axopar displayed in Pattaya Text and photos: Joakim Persson

T

hree boats of the Finnish boat brand Axopar had arrived by ship all the way from Poland, via Singapore, just in time for Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show, which took place on 24 – 27

November.

Håkan Lange (Sweden) from Phuket-based boat dealership Derani Yachts, who is the mega successful new brand’s first Asian dealer, had despite enormous demand managed to get a few boats for delivery, one 28 foot and two 37 foot models, all already sold to customers in Phuket.

“And we managed to get them delivered a bit earlier in order to take part in the boat show as that has priority by the boat brand,” said Håkan who describes the huge demand for this Finnish boat brand as very unusual.

“The yard has produced for two years now, and have delivered nearly 600 boats and with a thick order book for the foreseeable future. But we managed to book a few more as we have such a huge interest also from Asia and that they view this region as an important future market.”

There was no doubt that the Axopars were 8 ScandAsia.Thailand • January 2017

the boats standing out at the boat show, while all other brands were the all familiar. The cuttingedge hull and cool design, sleek details and stark white Mercury engines made even the maids and cooks coming down to take photos, according to Håkan. No pretties (exhibition girls) were needed here for the attention-grabbing Axopars!

“We have the only product here that is new and without doubt it’s the most interesting product, also for those who have no immediate plans to invest in a boat.This is new, looks different, fun, and is attractive price-wise. A good entry level and a big reason why we took this path in order to offer those who may be able to afford a larger boat but might not want to do the investment, but testing the waters first in terms of boating.”

What contributes to Axopar’s unique concept is also the fact that experienced Finnish boat designers have come up with four different configurations for all their models to meet the needs of all clients.

“There is an arrangement that wor ks practically for every environment.”

Business

Dictador from Colombia

next for Swedish bartender Text: Joakim Persson Photos: Dennis Thern

H

aving worked as a bar consultant and bartender executive for the enter tainment (nightclub and dining) brand Ce’ La Vi (previously named Ku De Ta) in Bangkok and Singapore, Knut Randhem has jumped on a new adventure. And he has found something very appealing.

After having already decided to remain in Southeast Asia, after the opportunity to come here had emerged with Nordic Bar Syndicate back in 2013, he has jumped on a new adventure to work with the Colombian brand Dictador, that offers spirits, cigars and coffee.

“I knew the brand since my early days with Ce’ La Vi (Ku De Ta back then) and we did a few events in Bangkok. Personally I felt it was time for a new challenge for me, and working with Spirit brands have always been something I’ve looked at so when this opportunity came I instantly felt it was the natural move for me. And I get to use Bangkok as my base again,” explains Knut, Regional Manager South East Asia for Dictador.

During the autumn of 2016 he travelled around in Asia, among other activities holding launch par ties, like the Bangkok attended by ScandAsia, that took place at the ideal venue Havana Social.

“We wanted to spread the awareness about our products within Bangkok’s nighlife and f&b scene, as well to give back and show our appreciation of all the support received from the local industry; we would not able to be where we are today without them!”

Knut’s mission with this brand is quite simple; to make the Dictador experience available to everyone. “Having worked in the bar and

beverage operations the last 12 years I know how important it is to have quality products to deliver a good experience. And I really do believe that our unique mix of products put us in an exceptional position in the market.”

Dictador consists in spirits, cigars and coffe and its heritage goes way back in time: In 1913, almost 180 years after Dictador’s myth was conceived, one of his descendants established Destilería Colombiana. Years were then spent researching the myth as well as the intricacies of rum production in order to become the finest Colombian rum producer in the Caribbean Zone.

The third generation of the family sought to expand and share their beautiful liquid around the globe. In 2009, savvy international investors came on board and helped to make Dictador one of the most-loved and awarded Colombian rums in the world.

“Dictador made its first baby steps in Southeast Asia about four years ago, but since the scene is developing very fast at the moment and the demand for quality products is increasing, things really kicked off the last year and we have expanded to a lot of new markets,” says Knut.

Coming from Latin America Dictador is the biggest exported rum in Colombia.“Although the Market is very different, we are in several different markets.”

The brand also has its own gin, being the first in the world producing gin from sugar cane and aging it in ex rum casks for richer character.

Finally there is Café Dictador, offering “something unique”, as the result of the harmony between the fruits of 3 diverse Colombian coffee regions with an independent roasting process for each origin.

January 2017 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9

Business

A

t last, ScandAsia has caught hold of a Trade Commissioner to learn more about Business Sweden (since the organisation was changed and renamed) and their activities, scope of work, clients and the development for Swedish business and trade in and with Southeast Asia. And who could then be a more ideal spokesperson than the Country Manager for Thailand and Vietnam, incl. Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos (Mekong region)!

Meet Vivianne Gillman, based in Bangkok since Februar y 2015, who actually opted to leave New York City for Southeast Asia as an irresistible next career step.

“I was asked if I would be interested in coming here, while I still had a few years left on my US contract. Being the Head of the New York office was very exciting, as a very dynamic and ripe market with many Swedish companies already established and many others on their way. But it was difficult to say no to Southeast Asia; there are few markets growing as fast as this one right now.”

And this growth has had a positive impact on Business Sweden’s operations in the five countries Vivianne is in charge of.

Vietnam on top

Business Sweden in Southeast Asia busier than ever Vivianne Gillman oversees the Mekong region

By Joakim Persson

“We have seen vast changes only during the period I’ve here. And we are experiencing incredible demand and interest, especially in Myanmar and Vietnam and still with plenty of interest for Thailand, the most mature market of these.”

In late 2016 Business Sweden actually had quite many assignments in Thailand assisting companies in establishing presence.

“Even if we are seeing less demand in the more aggressive growth strategies. it’s interesting to see that many companies are making the decision to establish legal presence at this moment. This often means they already acted on the market for some time, or that there is some other strong incentive to invest,” Vivianne elaborates on Thailand. “So that’s a positive sign in an economy that does not have as strong growth as some of the other markets.”

“Of the five Vietnam is the market with the absolutely highest demand with regards to the Swedish companies contacting us, At one point we had to put new assignments on hold as we simply did not have capacity to take on more.”

So Vivianne’s team is overloaded with work.

As we meet they have already employed nine more people since she arrived – and need to hire even more.

Commenting on what sor t of talent they hire she says that one must understand both Sweden as well as the local market, but also being able to navigate in two worlds.

“This can sometimes be difficult, but this is also what makes us unique - being internationalization exper ts who combine analytical skills with government access.”

What makes organisations grow Vivianne’s career within the organisation started as Head of the New York office back in January 2012, when it was still called Swedish Trade Council, and continued on the same position as

10 ScandAsia.Thailand • January 2017

it became Business Sweden (the Swedish Trade and Invest Council) in January 2013.

Employees at Business Sweden work for the Swedish state, repor ting to the Ministr y of Foreign Affairs and the Swedish industr y.

Through an or ganisation called Sver iges Allmänna Utrikeshandelsförening (Swedish Foreign Trade Association), the organisation is indirectly owned by businesses.

Vivanne has a double Masters degree from Stockholm University; in Business Administration and Economics as well as Systems Development and Software Engineering. She also fur thered her studies in New York with a course in Venture Capital and Private Equity.

“For me that’s a red thread - to understand what makes different organisations to grow is very interesting,” she comments on that course.

“And I think start-ups in general do not have this large structure to carry around like large corporations have, but you find a lot of driving force in these companies. I worked quite a lot with start-ups in New York and we did a few activities towards those to meet other potential investors and other players on the market etc.”

“Also here in Southeast Asia I can use the knowledge in the sense we are working with mergers and acquisitions. Then it’s more about larger corporations, but all the same about understanding what makes a company attractive, valuation-wise. So when looking at various ways to enter markets here it is not unusual at all to start by acquiring up companies.”

corporations and as these markets are hard to navigate Business Sweden’s role becomes valuable. When we do business delegations, for example, we typically involve both the private and public sector,” explains Vivianne,.”

“You often have governments or stateowned companies as buyer s, and often development banks joining as stakeholders.

This makes the region interesting, but also quite challenging. This is one of the ways in which we can support teh companies,” smiles the Country Manager. “There is a lot of potential but it is a bit challenging, especially when it comes to navigating the government jungle.”

Business Sweden in Southeast Asia is concentrated on supporting and advising Swedish companies who want to establish or grow their business in these markets. And currently many companies are asking for assistance.

“To a large extent we work with regional management, usually based in Singapore , Shanghai or so, who need assistance with market entry. That is the normal need for Myanmar, and also Laos, as an example of a white spot market still for many companies.”

“We also do many assignments for companies who have been on a market for a long time, such as in Thailand, but the market has changed and they need assistance to find new revenue streams, such as new customer groups.”

Vivianne says that to grow sales revenue on international markets are very grateful tasks to work on, compared to when she was a strategy consultant, which involved issues such as costcutting, re-organisation etc.

“In assisting companies on market entrance and market growth we do whatever it takes, almost.”

Business Sweden as such is quite complicated to understand.

It requires some time; there are not that many organisations that operate as ours, having such strong connection to the state while having a private side as well.

Innovation and sustainability Prior to her New York appointment Vivianne worked as a strategy and management consultant back in Sweden with Connecta between 2007 and 2011. There she also spearheaded the internal CSR and sustainability efforts, but also advised the non-profit sector and companies on sustainability – how they could integrate their sustainability strategies within their business strategy.

“We worked towards the head offices but it was often with an international scope as so many Swedish companies are spread throughout the world.”

Sustainability is also par t of the DNA when it comes to promoting Sweden and Swedish companies internationally as attractive, innovative and competitive business partners.

At a minister-lead delegation to Indonesia and Vietnam in November innovation and sustainability were the two themes.

“That is often how we want to profile our Swedish companies, most have that as their unique selling point, which often also mean higher prices, and that’s something that most of them have in common, where we assist together to convey the benefits of these innovative solutions that can lead to higher effectiveness, and productivity. So the total cost is actually lower even if the initial price tags is higher than average. That message applies for many companies and sustainability is another factor coming up on the agenda more and more in Southeast Asia,” she comments.

Why companies need us In Southeast Asia they work quite a lot with large January 2017 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11

Business

To a large extent we work with regional management, usually based in Singapore, Shanghai or so, who need assistance with a start-up. That is the normal need for Myanmar, and also Laos, as an example of a white spot market still for many companies.

In terms of areas of activities and being available Business Sweden produces and publishes market repor ts, arranges seminars to share information and replies to queries – all assignments from the Swedish state. Then, where most resources are spent, is on serving the individual companies with advisory services.

“Usually that we assist in evaluating whether a market is attractive or not, how to enter or how to grow, and third being these delegations.”

“Market analysis is our core competence and what we are doing on a daily basis, and mostly for individual companies,” she adds.

Gazelle companies and start-ups Collaborations within Team Sweden are also important.

“When it comes to delegations we work very closely also with the Swedish embassies, so most delegations are lead by our Ambassador or by someone from Sweden; a state secretary or 12 ScandAsia.Thailand • January 2017

minister. We invite relevant companies, so there is always a combination of interest and what is in focus from back home.”

“We all have a lot of dialogue with our colleagues in the other markets as well, in par ticular as many are looking at targeting Southeast Asia as a whole and which countries to prioritise first and where to invest the most resources and so on.”

“What is important to emphasize, where we ourselves prioritise our resources, that it does not only mean large corporations but might just as well be Gazelle companies, interesting start-ups or those being best in class within their sector. Somewhere we want to prioritise helping those companies that best benefit Sweden.”

Minimising corruption In assisting companies Business Sweden also encounters corruption, described by Vivianne as a “large challenge all over Southeast Asia”.

“What we assist with is that par tly we can par take in various meetings with public companies, government organisations or other to show that Sweden thinks this deal is important and interesting and that we are monitoring it in order also to minimise the risk for corruption factors being brought to the table. And we frequently assist in finding local partners. That is very difficult to do 100 per cent but then conduct certain due diligence, and it depends a bit on the company how deep we should dig.”

“When it comes to acquisitions we do commercial due diligence, e.g. looking at that that business, customers and business connects.”

Going forward, Vivianne says that Business Sweden believes there are significant growth opportunities for Swedish companies and that Sweden has not reached any ceiling on yet.

Swedish companies selling solutions to the manufacturing industry, including industrial equipment that assists the local industry, are among the strengths.

“The strongest BNP driver on most markets are manufacturing, so they need to improve as stronger manufacturing hubs as the main driver for a market to thrive. Here the Swedish companies can enter and develop the local manufacturing sector.”

Infrastructure, including both transportation and energy, is another focus area.

“Looking at a market like Vietnam both Norway and Denmark have significantly higher export than Sweden today, despite them being smaller economies than ours. And we are seeing the same tendency in Myanmar. But we could do even more and especially in Southeast Asia we could do much more.”

Business

Swedish General Manager at Pattaya hotels receives green awards

A

proud Swede, Mr Jonas Sjöstedt, General Manager at Centara Nova Hotel & Spa Pattaya and Centara Pattaya Hotel, and his teams have together received Thailand’s most prestigious environmental awards ceremony for tourism industry operators.

It was at the Thai Environment Day Event, held rat IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Centre where the two properties were awarded.

Centara Nova Hotel & Spa Pattaya received its first “Green Hotel Gold Award 2016” from Thailand’s Ministr y of Natural Resource and Environment.^pWinning this prestigious national award is a testament to the hotel’s persistence and dedication to promote several of its green initiatives, as well as to the tireless work of all employees and involved industry partners, states Centara Hotels & Resor ts.^pThroughout the year, Centara Nova Hotel & Spa Pattaya has integrated green initiatives into every aspect of the hotel operations, from overall energy and water saving, utilisation of renewable energy – namely turning sunlight into electricity by solar cells, to social initiatives that promote recycling of material waste from the hotel, expanding green areas for the community and campaigning for hotel guests to participate in several environmental programmes.^pIts sister hotel – Centara Pattaya Hotel, located nearby, secured the “Green Hotel Silver Award” this

Mr. Jonas Sjöstedt, General Manager of Centara Nova Hotel & Spa Pattaya received the hotel’s first Green Hotel Gold Award 2016 from Natural Resource and Environment Minister General Surasak Kanjanarat year, a result of knowledge transfer and handson implementation from one hotel managed by the same Swedish General Manager and team of operations staff to the other. ^p“The awards were the results of every little thing we do,” said Mr. Jonas Sjöstedt, “To reinforce cost-saving with many of our green initiatives while making both hotels live up to visitors’ expectations has meant a lot of planning, implementing, evaluating and improving. I am particularly pleased that both

hotels have been recognised by the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment with their first environmental awards, especially the Gold Award for Centara Nova Hotel & Spa Pattaya for the first time.”^pCentara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel operator, with 42 deluxe and first-class properties across all of the major tourist destinations in the Kingdom, as well as a further 22 hotels and resorts in the Maldives, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Oman and China.

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January 2017 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13

Business

The Sapparot Swedes embr and enter Thonglor’s entert Text and photos: Joakim Persson

I

n 2016 the Swedish-American trio at Sapparot Group boosted Rocket Coffeebar to be more distinctly Scandinavian, adding ‘Nordic Café’, currently with outlets on Sathorn Road, soi 12; Sukhumvit road, soi 49 and also with their Rocket X as a more takeaway concept for further expansion in 2017.

“It’s just an add-on to explain via the logo what we are in fact doing, from just seeing ‘Rocket’ on a sign. So we added this tagline, so guests can read out that it is café and with a Scandinavian concept,” explains Ben-David Sorum.

Part of the enhanced Scandinavian branding - Rocket being, interior-wise, already fully Scandinavian in terms of design – also saw the launch of the ‘Nordic Collection’ menu earlier in

14 ScandAsia.Thailand • January 2017

the year, with a truly Nordic heritage including superbly made dishes of some true classics: The Daily Hash, or ‘Pyttipanna’ (in Swedish) with a modern twist, and Swedish meatballs. Also Pan-seared mackerel adds to the choices. And then some superb Open-faced Smorrebrod (Smørrebrød in Danish), including Gravlax, Roast pork and Toast Skagen! There are also egg dishes and other Scandinavian breakfast items.

A German-Thai chef who understands European food very well makes sure the food concept is up to the standard of expectations from discerning guests and owners.

“It is being appreciated, and images on the menu also make people understand the dishes.

But in general we have good feedback; there are not many Scandinavian choices here in Thailand

so not that many have tried out Nordic café food previously,” says Ben-David.

Rocket also launched their branded bottled ice coffee, which he says is something growing.

“We have started with some retail products.

For the coffee many buy and bring home but we also get quite many queries from hotels and cafés to buy our products. So that is something we are working on right now to see if we can obtain all the licences and approvals required for that. It’s much stricter than one can think, to be able to sell commercially in retail.”

They also star ted selling their granola [breakfast food], cookies and other sweeties in retail. “Our granola is selling very well.”

Fur ther more , they entered big time to be smack in the centre or Thonglor’s hot

brace the Nordic tainment scene entertainment zone, with several outlets at 72 Courtyard.

There they have, since March 2016, their second Lady Brett restaurant, a “barbeque restaurant with focus on local produce but presented more with Amer ican style”.

Fur thermore, on top of Lady Brett,is their second craft cocktail bar U.N.C.L.E. “People are increasingly noticing us and find that we have a cocktail bar serving high-quality cocktails at the star ting price of 195 baht in the middle of Thonglor, with top ingredients in a designer setting – that’s very generous,” thinks Ben-David, “plus we have disc jockey entertainment and live reggae every Thursday.”

Furthermore they are operating a concept from Australia called Touche Hombre, owned by

a friend of theirs in Melbourne.

Since Sapparot Group first set up their concepts on Sathorn soi 12 the restaurant, bar and café scene has changed dramatically.

“The amount of restaurants and cafes is bizarre. A number of new outlets are opening ever y month but many are also closing,” Ben-David comments on the scene. “I view competition as good and bad; what’s good is that it pushes everybody to deliver something better. The customers get more choices and then it pushes operators to get better, while at the same time there are too many on the scene now.”

“For people who are very serious about the product one represents, such as us, it as its pros and cons. Our prices are higher, as we have

higher level of quality on everything from staff and ingredients to location and design. That’s the positioning we have taken, so we charge a bit more for that. The competition is what it is; one has to adapt and to be better than everybody else, while sticking to the concept.”

But there is also another change that is less positive for restaurateurs: “Competition is one thing, the overall economy and stability is another matter and that concerns people’s spending power. That one is very different now from what it was before,” say the Swede, as he explains that their average customers are spending much less when dining and drinking these days.

January 2017 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15

Agneta’s World

Agneta’s New Year New Year is upon us. It’s time to review your 2016 resolutions, make some new ones… and try, try, try to live up to them.

16 ScandAsia.Thailand • January 2017

T

he list of New Year resolutions are, in most cases: eat healthy, exercise, have your yearly physical exams, take that getaway trip to a new destination, go dancing, call your Mum, feed the dog etc. To this year’s list I am adding: “I will not read articles, tweets, blogs or posts regarding the new US President and his first lady in waiting.” The local gossip in Washington has it that Melania has plans to gold plate the White House. You heard it here first!

Let’s work our way down a 2017 wish list:

“I Promise to Eat healthy” You have spent the past two weeks stuffing yourself with ham, bread, toast Skagen, ginger cookies (pepparkakor), sausages and sweets.

Add 5-10 bottles of wine to the above and you are suddenly so large that you are blocking out the sun, providing ample shade for the local street vendors. Holiday lunches, dinners, cocktails, events and openings… The question is, how many functions serving highly caloric food and wine should we attend during the coming holiday season? My answer is: All of them! I resolve to eat, drink and par ty to exhaustion during the holiday season. It’s simply a choice between Fat or Fun. I choose the latter!

…Which brings me to my second resolution: “I will exercise daily, except when I don’t feel like it.”

One look in a full length mirror after the holidays will see you in the gym sweating it off. I must admit that it’s hard to return to the gym after a full-on holiday season. I do find, however, that my gym regimen becomes addictive after two months of training. Swimming and running are my pursuits along with light weights. I plan to add yoga to my exercise program to keep myself limber. We all know the benefits of basic exercise regimes. Note that the SWEA (Swedish Women Educational Association Bangkok) has morning walks almost every day; talking and walking are fun! The main benefit of exercise for me is a sense of wellbeing and happiness. Exercise puts a smile on my face, a spring in my step and melts away my holiday waistline.

“I will travel more often”: Even if it’s just a weekend trip...

Go for it! I recently went to Hanoi for three days and found it relaxing and fun. Next on my list is Luang Prabang, which is, by all accounts, tranquil and a bit off the Asian track. A three day weekend away from the city leaves one refreshed and looking forward to the next adventure. Travelling the ASEAN is cheap as chips with local airlines, offering great bargains

resolutions for short country hops. Book your flights now for February and March getaways. Travel light for local journeys. Easier said than done!

“I love to dance.”

Can my readers suggest a dance venue in Bangkok that offers a mix of big band, rock, disco, salsa and cheek to cheek? I have danced at Spasso in the Hyatt: good bands, but the bar area is swarming with light-footed women all looking for a foreign ATM account! I have also listened to the bands at The Sheraton from time to time. During my last visit I fell asleep during one of the house band’s hard rock numbers. One bright spot was Sing Sing, where I found a young crowd that was up dancing all night. I was invited to dance by several young men and ladies, which was fun… until one of them commented that “I move well for a senior.” Another stop on the dance circuit is Wine Bibber Sangria Bar in Ekamai.

The house band “Big Boy Band is the most professional rock band in town. Their lead guitarist is extraordinar y. This is a late night venue. You can also find this band at the Titanic Club on Soi 22 opposite Bangkok Betty. Shows normally star t at 10pm.

years and now it’s your turn to swaddle and feed her. I make a point to call my Mum at least three times a week, which has her feeling cheerful and energized. I also stay in close contact with all my friends abroad via email and Facebook.

Good luck for year 2017! Stay healthy & happy!

“Call Mum once a week.”

She diapered and fed you during your formative January 2017 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17

มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Language Corner

The Months to Come

By Klavs Johansen (thai@snakthai.dk)

สวัสดีปีใหม่ / sàwàt di: pi: mài / ~ Happy New

Year!

Let’s start the New Year by learning, once and for all, to give dates in Thai, which, besides knowledge of the numbers, requires that you know the names of the months. If you do not already know the numbers, please refer to the October 2014 issue of ScandAsia Thailand where you can learn to count or merely refresh your memory in this respect. As for the months, we will practice them here step by step and, as usual, you should ask a Thai close by to help you with the pronunciation. Please allow for a lot of repetition.

We start by the simplest way to name the months and then we build it from there. This way, the names of the months are actually not so hard to learn. First quarter is มกรา / mòkkàra: / ~ January, กุมภา / kumpha: / ~ February, and มีนา / mi:na: / ~ March.

Repeat. In second quarter we have เมษา / me:să: / ~ April, พฤษภา / phrúetsàpha: / ~ May, and มิถุนา / míthùna: / ~ June.

Repeat second quarter and then first quarter followed by second quar ter. Already half way through the year, we continue to third quarter with กรกฎา / kàrákàda: / ~ July, สิงหา / sĭnghă: / ~ August, and กันยา / kanya: / ~ September.

Repeat third quarter and then first quarter, second quarter and third quarter again. Finally, fourth quarter goes ตุลา / tùla: / ~ October, พฤศจิกา / phrúetsàjìka: / ~ November, and ธันวา / thanwa: / ~ December.

Do repeat fourth quarter and then all of them one more time. Starting to remember?The difficult ones are probably พฤษภา / phrúetsàpha: / and 18 ScandAsia.Thailand • January 2017

พฤศจิกา / phrúetsàjìka: /. Try to repeat them

slowly and then speed up. The pronunciation of the remaining months should be straight forward as long as you pay attention to the tones.

This way of naming the months is used informally in spoken language and you can get away with using them in most informal situations.

The real names, however, are also used in spoken language, as well as in print, and are a little longer, but, luckily, they are only a slight extension of the informal names. Just add the suffix -คม / -khom / for months with 31 days and –ยน / -yon / for months with 30 days. For February, add -พันธ์ / -phan / and we get: มกราคม / mòkkàra: khom / ~ January, กุมภาพันธ์ / kumpha: phan / ~ February, มีนาคม / mi:na: khom / ~ March, เมษายน / me:să: yon / ~ April, พฤษภาคม / phrúetsàpha: khom / ~ May, มิถุนายน / míthùna: yon / ~ June, กรกฎาคม / kàrákàda: khom / ~ July, สิงหาคม / sĭnghă: khom / ~ August, กันยายน / kanya: yon / ~ September, ตุลาคม / tùla: khom / ~ October, พฤศจิกายน / phrúetsàjìka: yon / ~ November, and ธันวาคม / thanwa: khom / ~ December.

Hence, once you have learned the simple names, you can easily construct the formal names by adding -คม / -khom /, –ยน / -yon /, or -พันธ์ / -phan /, depending on the number of days in the month.

In Thai, we often find that nouns, are named together with another noun indicating the category. The category is added as a prefix, i.e. first. For instance, Thais will normally say นกกา / nók ka: / ~ crow, นกกระจอกเทศ / nók kràjòr:k thê:t / ~ ostrich, where นก / nók / ~ bird, indicates the category.

This addition of category facilitates understanding,

the listener knows what to listen for, which is an advantage, not least for the language novice who may not have a perfect pronunciation. In line with this, เดือน / duean / ~ month is the category for the names of the months and we get them in full length:

เดื อ นมกราคม / duean mòkkàra: khom / ~

January,

เดื อ นกุ ม ภาพั น ธ์ / duean kumpha: phan / ~

February, ...

เดื อ นธั น วาคม / duean thanwa: khom / ~

December.

By now, you can probably fill in the remaining months yourself, however we can also keep it a little simpler by leaving out the -คม / -khom /, –ยน / -yon /, and -พันธ์ / -phan / suffixes. Then we have เดือนมกรา / duean mòkkàra: / ~ January, เดือนกุมภาพ / duean kumpha: / ~ February, ... เดือนธันวา / duean thanwa: / ~ December.

Fill in the gaps and repeat and then we are ready to give dates in Thai. The way to do it is probably best illustrated by a couple of examples: วันที่ 4 มีนาคม / wan thî: sì: mi:na:khom /,

วันที่ 4 เดือนมีนาคม / wan thî: sì: duean mi:na: khom / ~ March 4th, and วั น ที่ 28 พฤศจิ ก ายน / wan thî: yî: sìp pàe:t phrúetsàjìka: yon / ~ 28th November, where วันที่ / wan thî: / ~ day number.

That’s it!

วันนี้ วันที่เท่าไร / wan ní:, wan thî: thâorai / ~

what date is it today?

เดือนนี้ เดือนอะไร / duean ní:, duean àrai / ~

which month do we have?

See you in the next issue or at the Thai Language Corner on Facebook!

January 2017 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19