Food and Drink Nordic Markets

South West food and drink producers explore the Nordic markets.

South West food and drink producers explore the Nordic markets.

Fifty businesses interested in breaking into the Nordic food and drink market got the chance to hear from the experts and success stories at Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) South West’s event at Bordeaux Quay.

Attendees got the chance to hear from Anders Skeem, an EEN Danish international business adviser, on the various differences between the countries, cultures, priorities and meeting etiquette, to give businesses the best chance to succeed in these markets and avoid the pitfalls.

Discussion also focussed on EEN’s upcoming ‘Tour D’Europe’ Stockholm on May 26th, an overseas event offering local businesses a chance to meet with Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Danish buyers.   Delegates were given top tips on how to prepare for the event and raise the profile of their business to secure meetings beforehand.

Tim Harrap from Lyecross Farm, a local family run cheese producer with experience in these markets who’ve achieved considerable growth from export sales to over 30 countries, then gave some first hand advice on the importance of doing research, understanding the people, being prepared for the unexpected, remaining flexible and open minded to new opportunities.

Campden BRI, a Gloucestershire based organisation that provide technical support to the food and drink industry, spoke about the export considerations needed including labelling, shelf life, packaging and scaling up and what drives food innovation.

The event then finished with a Q&A and networking lunch, where delegates got the opportunities to quiz the speakers as well as EEN, the Knowledge Transfer Network and UKTI advisers.

Commenting on the event, Louise Hooker, EENSW Sector Lead, said: “We were delighted to welcome our Danish colleague Anders Skeem  and bring a bit of the Nordics to Bristol.  The event brought a ‘human’ element to how the Enterprise Europe Network can help ambitious business to grow by embracing innovation and international opportunities.  It demonstrated the strength of the food and drink sector in the South West and the enthusiasm and appetite of our local producers to access new markets, explore export opportunities and find international partners.”

Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) South West is helping South West food and drink companies to identify opportunities in the Nordic countries.  For more information on how to get involved, contact louise.hooker@businesswest.co.uk