Member Article

Barcelona event provides food for thought for region’s exporters

North West businesses are being invited to join a trade mission to one of the biggest food and drink fairs in the world.

Aimed at professionals, Alimentaria in Barcelona, Spain brings together almost 150,000 people over a four-day period. Visitors from over 140 countries will attend the event, including importers, distributors and those who work in catering or the hotel and restaurant trade.

The four day visit takes place from 30 March to 3rd April, and will include exhibitions, seminars and conferences, providing a worldwide business hub for the food industry – and valuable contacts and opportunities for North West firms, especially SMEs.

Areas covered at Alimentaria 2014 include: Fair Trade products, ingredients, gourmet goods and regional specialities, Kosher products, private labels, Halal, organic and vegetarian and health foods.

Over 140,000 professionals will be attending the show to meet suppliers and network with industry colleagues, and as well as business meetings and seminars there will be cooking demonstrations, culinary workshops and a chef of the year competition.

Businesses attending with UKTI will be welcomed by the Director of UKTI in Barcelona and enjoy a full briefing at the British Consulate before being provided with free tickets to Alimentaria.

There will also be a Q&A session with a local distributor, store visits and full in-market support from UKTI staff, as well as the services of a translator from the British Consulate.

Carol Wilson, International Trade Adviser for UKTI North West who is leading the trade mission said,

“The North West has a great culinary heritage, catering for all tastes – from small artisan bakeries and micro-breweries to major industry names such as Vimto and Kelloggs.

“Alimentaria provides the ideal opportunity for food businesses to explore new avenues and find new markets for their products, bringing quality local produce to a wider audience – and with the advantage of a comprehensive package of support and additional visits and introductions from UKTI Barcelona.”

To register interest in the mission, email events@uktinorthwest.co.uk or for more information, contact Jackie Nolan on 0161 875 2335.

Funding support may be available for eligible North West companies on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply companies must be a small or medium enterprise (SME) and have been trading for a minimum of 12 months.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .