‘AI-driven marketing is expected to become a major pillar of our future business strategy’ — Will (Werawat) Wiangchai, export sales manager at Siam Canadian Foods

By Masahiko Takeuchi | May 28, 2026

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand-based seafood trader Siam Canadian Foods is accelerating diversification and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven sales strategy development as the global shrimp sector adjusts to shifting trade flows following disruption caused by US tariff policies.

“Last year was dominated by uncertainty surrounding the Trump tariffs, but overall it was okay — we found a way to survive,” Will (Werawat) Wiangchai, export sales manager at Siam Canadian Foods, said during the Thaifex Anuga Asia food show in Bangkok, where Undercurrent has been reporting live.

Because the tariff uncertainty affected the entire seafood industry, customers were generally understanding, he said.

The comments follow last year’s comments, which described uncertainty as “the enemy of business” as the company navigated shifting US trade policy.

The global shrimp business saw diverging regional trends over the past year.

Indian shrimp exports to the US weakened sharply, while shipments to Europe expanded. Will said India could receive additional support after reaching an agreement this year on a free trade agreement with the EU.

Currently, the US accounts for around 60-70% of the company’s export business, while Europe represents 15-20% and Asia roughly 5%.

“Over time, we want to increase the EU share,” Will said.

Still, Thailand’s seafood export sector remained under pressure due to weaker price competitiveness compared with rival origins such as Vietnam and Indonesia, compounded by tariff uncertainty.

Currency movements are also becoming a growing concern.

Will said the company views THB 0.033 against the US dollar as an ideal operating level, while the currency is currently stronger.

If the baht falls below $0.0325, profitability could deteriorate significantly, he added.

At the same time, Siam Canadian’s import business into Thailand has been expanding and helping support overall earnings.

The business includes supplying Chinese squid and Vietnamese surimi to Thailand’s foodservice and seafood processing sectors.

The company is also increasing sales of cuttlefish and other non-shrimp seafood products.

Diversification has long been central to the company’s strategy, Will said.

“We’ve always tried to avoid dependence on one single market or one single species,” he said.

A decade ago, shrimp products accounted for roughly 70-80% of Siam Canadian’s business, but that ratio has now fallen to around 60-70%.

Sales of tuna, salmon, octopus and whitefish species such as cod, flounder and haddock have expanded, alongside a growing focus on value-added products rather than commodity seafood items.

Siam Canadian is targeting overall sales growth of 5-6% year-on-year in 2026.

Looking ahead, Wiangchai said data-driven strategy development will become increasingly important.

“Data will be key to future sales growth,” he said. “We need accurate data to identify what products to sell and which customers to target.”

At the center of that strategy is a new AI-based marketing initiative launched this year by the company’s internal IT team.

The system combines global seafood trade data, import-export statistics, market consumption trends and the company’s customer database accumulated since 2015.

The database includes information on more than 1,000 companies, including existing customers and potential clients identified through past trade shows and business meetings.

Will said the company hopes the system will also help revive relationships with potential customers that were not fully followed up on through day-to-day sales operations.

The company is currently testing the system and validating its output accuracy.

AI-driven marketing is expected to become “a major pillar” of Siam Canadian’s future business strategy, Will said.