Short Title:
How to find buyers?
Sector:
Processed Fruit and Vegetables and Edible Nuts
Reading time:
11
Updated at:
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Document name:
Tips for finding buyers in the European processed fruit and vegetables market (2016)
Intro:
Finding buyers in Europe who are willing to buy from far-away places involves considerable investment and intensive preparation. The process can be challenging, and you will need to find a buyer that is looking for your products and one that fits with your capabilities. Try starting with European importers, packers and distributors and make the most of these useful tips.
Content study:
Title:
Start by doing thorough market research
Body:
Before you start your market research, think about which buyers want your products. Do you offer conventional products? Do you focus on a specific niche such as organic produce, fair trade or sustainable production?
Do you need to look for importers of raw materials – juices, concentrates, dehydrated fruit and vegetables or edible nuts? Or do you need to look for packers, or distributors of consumer-packed products?
The answers to these initial questions will help you to discover which market segments, market channels and which buyers to target.
Tips:
Tips:
Read our study about the market channels and segments in the European market for processed fruit and vegetables for information about the different kinds of buyers.
Identify who you want to sell to: importers, packers and manufacturers, distributors of consumer-packed products or directly to the multiple retailers.
Read our factsheets on fruit juices and concentrates, edible nuts and dried fruit and canned fruit and vegetables, among others, to learn about opportunities and challenges in these markets.
Find buyers that match your capabilities in terms of size, organisational structure, product (e.g. mainstream or niche) and compliance with food safety and sustainability requirements.
Title:
Decide which countries and segments to focus on
Body:
If you sell processed fruit and vegetables in bulk, as ingredients, your potential clients will be importers, packers and manufacturers specialised in this industry. Note, that importers generally serve multiple European countries or even the whole of Europe.
Packers and manufacturers may work on a European scale or nationally. In either case, it is a good idea to select 2 or 3 priority countries. Focus your research on these countries.
Belgium and the Netherlands serve as trading hubs for fruit juices and concentrates for example. Find the trading hubs for your products and focus on those countries.
Tips:
Tips:
Read this study on the demand for processed fruit and vegetables in Europe.
Read this document about Opportunities on the European market for processed fruit and vegetables and edible nuts.
If you are a more experienced exporter, you can try selling directly to markets that are normally served by European importers. However, this requires a lot more effort, and you will have to convince buyers to buy from far away places.
Study our Product Fact Sheets for processed fruit and vegetables and edible nuts. These focus on specific countries and on Europe as a whole.
Title:
Study market requirements and prepare yourself well
Body:
Buyers receive dozens of emails with product offers every week and will only seriously consider your offer if it looks professional. Find out in advance what the market wants to see in your emails or letters.
Business-to-Business (B2B) trading is a small and close-knit world. This means you only get one chance to make a good impression. Make sure that you are well prepared before you send information into your target market.
Tips:
Tips:
Do not try to tempt buyers with unrealistically-low prices. They know what good quality should cost so focus more on quality, food safety and supply capability in your communications.
Food-safety certifications such as HACCP, BRC, SQF, ISO22000 and are important and often expected by buyers. Read more on international standards and food safety management systems from Standards Map.
Read more information about market requirements in the European processed fruit and vegetables market on our website.
Find out if you need to upgrade your processing facilities and sourcing strategies in order to meet European requirements.
See our Nine tips on doing business with European buyers of processed fruit and vegetables.
If you do not meet the strict quality requirements imposed in northern and western European markets, try to look for buyers in eastern or even some southern European countries. The same legal requirements apply but they will often accept lower products, in the case of edible nuts and dried fruit for example, and they may not always ask for additional guarantees such as food safety management systems.
Title:
Review the websites of European sector associations
Body:
Sector associations are a good place for finding potential buyers. Some of the associations publish member lists on their website, where you can find contact details for many European companies. Alternatively, you can request these lists by email from the sector associations.
The most important international sector associations in Europe are:
European Fruit Juice Association (AIJN): information about European legislation, labelling, sustainability etc.
European Association of Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industries (PROFEL): statistics about the European processed fruit and vegetables sector, information about legislation and a list of companies and national associations.
International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC): statistics and information about European regulation.
Many European countries also have their own national associations for different categories of processed fruit and vegetables as well, including:
Anifelt: L'Association Nationale Interprofessionnelle des Fruits et Légumes Transformés (National Processed Fruit and Vegetable Trade Association) – is active in the sector of processed (canned and frozen) fruit and vegetables.
BOGK: Bundesverband der obst-, gemüse- und kartoffelverarbeitenden Industrie e.V. (German Association of the Fruit, Vegetable and Potato Processing Industry)– is active in the sector of processed fruits and vegetables (processing industry).
CENTA: The Combined Edible Nut Trade Association – is active in the edible nuts and dried fruits sector in the United Kingdom.
FENAVAL: Federación Nacional de Asociaciones de Transformados Vegetales y Alimentos Procesados (The National Federation of Associations of Processed Vegetables and Processed Foods) – is active in the canned vegetables sector in Spain.
FWS: Nederlandse Vereniging Frisdranken, Waters, Sappen (Dutch Association Sodas, Waters, and Juices) – is active in the fruit juices and concentrates sector in the Netherlands.
KUPS: Krajowa Unia Producentów Soków (Polish Association of Juice Producers)– is active in the Polish fruit juices and concentrates sector.
NDFTA: National Dried Fruit Trade Association is active in the dried fruit sector in the United Kingdom.
UNIJUS: Union Nationale Interprofessionelle des Jus de Fruits (National Union of Fruit Juices) – is operating in the fruit juices and concentrates sector in France.
VIGEF: Vereniging van de Nederlandse Groenten- en Fruitverwerkende Industrie (Dutch Association of Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industry) – is active in the sector of processed fruits and vegetables, frozen fruits and vegetables, dried fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies in the Netherlands.
Tips:
Tips:
Search through the member list of the European Fruit Juice Association AJIN, and find out contact names and contact details.
Look at the members list of PROFEL the European Association of Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industries.
Title:
Participate in trade fairs and conferences
Body:
Trade fairs are a great place for meeting potential buyers. You will find that many trade fairs include a section dedicated to processed fruit and vegetables.
For your first time at an event, it is a good idea to go as a visitor not an exhibitor. This is a good way of getting to know your target market. Make sure you are well-prepared before visiting or exhibiting at a trade fair.
You will find that many countries exhibit in these trade fairs with a national pavilion. Find out if you can exhibit in this national pavilion at a reduced cost. Alternatively, the next step might be to book your own individual stand directly with the organisers.
The most important international trade fairs are:
Anuga - the largest trade fair for food and beverages in Europe. It is held every other year in Cologne, Germany and hosts relevant sections for processed fruit and vegetables, including the beverages section for fruit juice concentrates (FJC), frozen food section (for frozen fruit and vegetables), and the fine food section (for edible nuts, dried fruit and canned produce).
Salon International de Alimentacion (SIAL) - held every other year in Paris, France. It is a general trade fair of food and beverages, with a strong focus on France. It has similar sections for processed fruit and vegetables as Anuga, including Pavilions of the World, Infood and Organic Food.
Food Ingredients Europe (FIE) - a smaller trade fair focussing exclusively on ingredients, including raw materials and semi-finished products offered for sale to the food industry. The trade fair is held at different locations in Europe every year.
Natural Ingredients Trade Fair (NIE) - organised by the same organisers as FIE, and is held every year, either together with FIE in odd years or with HIE in even years.
Biofach - a trade fair focused exclusively on certified organic products. It is surprisingly large for such a specific niche and held every year in February in Nuremberg, Germany. Processed fruit and vegetable exporters can be accommodated in the sections with international pavilions. Biofach also includes an annual conference on developments in the global organic industry.
Tips:
Tips:
Use lists of exhibitors as a source for contact details for potential buyers. Here is the exhibitor list for Anuga.
Make appointments in advance, use email and other media to inform people that you are coming; prepare samples, brochures, business cards, website and price lists.
Some trade fair organisers have local, national events, to which international buyers are invited. In Asia, for example, FIE organised trade fairs in Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand in 2015 and will continue to do so in 2016 and 2017 Follow this link for more information on these local Asian events. In Peru, the Expoalimentaria has become a major commercial event held annually in September in Lima.
Title:
Network and meet buyers face-to-face
Body:
In addition to international trade fairs and conferences, you will find smaller events being organised by sector associations and other organisations. A good example is the frozen business-to-business (B2B) event organised every year in Barcelona, Spain, by the matchmaking and trading platform Frozen B2B.
The International Nuts and Dried Fruit Council organises an annual global event which is an important venue for this industry.
These events are also a good opportunity for finding out the latest developments in the industry.
Tips:
Tips:
National governments may organise trade missions or B2B meetings. Contact the trade departments of European embassies in your country or the trade departments of your country’s embassies in Europe.
Contact (national) associations of processed fruit and vegetables and general trade promotion agencies in your country to find out if any events are being planned.
Title:
Conduct an email marketing campaign
Body:
Email is a powerful tool for getting into contact with potential buyers, but use it wisely. Make sure your emails are as follows:
personal: use your contact’s name;
individual and relevant: one email for one person, in the right industry (buyers do not like blanket emails or irrelevant information);
creates a link to your website. Make sure your website is up to date, in English, and consistent with your product offering;
Provides product and company information;
includes a follow-up phone call. An email campaign will be most effective if you can follow up with a personal phone call.
Tips:
Tips:
Be honest. Do not try to attract buyers with unrealistic or low prices. They know what good quality costs, so focus more on quality, food safety and your strongest capabilities.
Send a presentation that introduces your company, your products and your strengths and skills. This is a good starting point, which can be followed by additional information such as quotations, packaging options or delivery terms.
Do not send mass mailings. This is considered as Spam (Unsolicited Commercial E-mail) in Europe and is an unwelcome form of communication.
Title:
Make sure you can be found online
Body:
It is important that buyers can find you online. You need a website that contains information about your products, your facilities and relevant documentation, like certification for example.
Make sure that your website is informative, accurate, well written and looks professional. Pay attention to the issue of sustainability, since this issue is receiving more and more attention in the PFV sector.
Join social media like LinkedIn and Facebook. These are increasingly popular as a way of promoting products and ideas. Adapt your style to your audience, but make sure that your message and the information you distribute is consistent across all of your chosen (online) media.
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Tips:
Tips:
It is a good idea to ask or employ help from someone who can write well in English, and someone who understands your target audience. A professional editor is one choice. S/he will be able to help you find the right style, and remove or avoid spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. This adds to your professional image. Mistakes do not.
It is also a good idea to post your product offerings on online trading platforms, yellow pages, databases such as Alibaba. These are widely used by buyers and sellers. Buyers are often looking for contact details here, not services.
Organic Bio is an interesting platform for finding buyers if you offer certified organic processed fruit and vegetables.
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