Welsh producers are gearing up to attend one of the world’s largest food and drink events in Paris next week (19-23 October). Salon International de l'Agroalimentaire (SIAL) 2014 will have over 6000 exhibitors from 105 countries and is seen as a key platform for the food and drink sector to promote their produce to buyers from all over the world.
A significant contingent of 17 Welsh companies will be present on the Welsh Government’s Food and Drink Wales pavilions, all looking to develop links and do business with overseas buyers. Rebecca Evans, Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, says that it is important for Welsh food and drink to be seen on the world stage.
“We all know that the quality of Welsh food and drink is up there with the best in the world and we need to ensure it is rightly recognised. Having a presence at places such as SIAL contributes to our long term ambition of growing this important sector to reach our target of annual sales of £7billion by the year 2020. Food and drink exports from Wales increased by 16% over the last year, and with our continuous support through events such as this, I hope we can help to build on that again this year.”
One of the producers looking to make a sweet impression at SIAL is Newport based syrup makers Clarks UK and Managing Director Bob Clark has high hopes that their new product will take the catering world by storm,
“Up until now we have been known mainly for our wonderful maple syrup, made from naturally tasty ingredients. At SIAL we will be unveiling our new chocolate dessert, that is quite innovative in that it does not need to be chilled. This potentially opens up a completely new market and one that will hopefully put us in Wales on the world food map. Without the support of the Welsh Government facilitating our presence at events such as SIAL it would be very difficult to develop a practical relationship with European and World wide buyers – it certainly opens up the export market – I just hope we can meet the demand for our chocolate pots!”
The Porthmadog based Purple Moose brewery is renowned throughout Wales for its award-winning range of beers and Director Lawrence John Washington sees trade events as a great opportunity to explore new business avenues,
“Since we opened our brewery in 2005, with the aim of serving North Wales, we have expanded rapidly and we now supply beer across the UK. Technology nowadays has made it easier to communicate on a global stage but the face to face interaction at high profile events such as SIAL should not be underestimated. It’s a fantastic opportunity to promote the Welsh food and drink sector, the quality of our produce is unrivalled, and hopefully we can just go from strength to strength.”
The mid Wales bottled water company, Tŷ Nant Spring Water Ltd, is a well known global brand, and Steve Gatto knows the value of attending trade events,
“Tŷ Nant water is now an established name but we still believe there is great value in attending high profile events such as SIAL. Buyers from all over the world are present so the opportunities are there to take your business to another level. For companies like ourselves it is also a chance to meet in person some of our worldwide customers and promote the significant merits of Welsh food and drink.”
SIAL is held in Paris, France on 19-23 October.