Grill’d Burger chain establishes restaurant in Bali with assistance from Clarke Global Logistics

The Grill’d Healthy Burgers are known for offering a wide range of nutritious burger options for all tastes and dietary requirements with fresh local ingredients, without any of the nasties like artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

Open to new business prospects, Grill’d management recently took the opportunity to set up operations in Bali, considering the amount of Australians and foreign nationals travelling or residing there as well as the openness of Indonesians to try new foods.

Grill’d General Manager – Supply, Chris Georgiou contacted Martin Moyano, Director at Clarke Clarke Global Logistics early last year to obtain his advice and assistance with establishing a restaurant in Bali and meeting the import compliance regulations of Indonesia.

Through his research and international business contacts in Indonesia, Martin was able to arrange the right business and import licenses, and importantly to register the products that would be required for import, such as buns, plant-based patties, potatoes and sweet potatoes, a process that is particularly complex and stringent in Indonesia.

Over the course of 6 months, Martin dealt with relevant Indonesian agencies and various Grill’d vendors to validate the import product specifications, which involved gathering product information and pictures of the products and their inner and outer packaging.  As the restaurant opening deadline of 19^th December 2019 loomed closer, the complexities of compliance with Indonesian food regulations became more apparent and pressing.

In one instance the packaging of buns had to change from a 9 kg box to a 10 kg box, to meet “not for retail” product requirements.  Also Halal certificates needed to be obtained and validated as it became mandatory from 17 December, 2019 that all products in Indonesia must be Halal certified.  Once all food safety and standards were met, other formalities also had to be completed, including 8 product letters submitted to the Indonesian food regulator (BPOM) in the Indonesian language, (which Martin worked at translating on a weekend), acknowledging that the goods were going to PT. Grill’d, that they were the acknowledged importer as well as an acceptance letter.  All above and beyond the typical service expectations of a freight forwarder.

Two days prior to the restaurant opening, all the requirements were met and completed, with 8 tonne of frozen and chilled goods shipped successfully by air to the hot climate of Bali, which has an average daily temperature of 35 degrees Celsius.

Chris Georgiou from Grill’d said that Martin “took on the heavy lifting of local registrations and ingredient specifications in a challenging and complex market.  Basically we outsourced the documentation and customs preparation to him.  That the restaurant is open and trading is testament that it all went well.”

According to Martin Moyano “the Grill’d project has been a different service approach for Clarke Global Logistics which usually manages the shipping aspects of clients’ businesses.  This focus on business auditing and international trade advice from inception to delivery has been an interesting and educational new challenge.”

With a potential second Grill’d restaurant opening in Bali later this year, as well as plans for other countries and cities around the globe in the future, Clarke Global Logistics is well placed to put this new international business expertise to further good use.