On 21-25 October, seven Armenian companies participated for the first time in the international food exhibition SIAL Paris, introducing Armenian food products, such as fruit and vegetable preserves, dried fruits and vegetables, and herbal teas to European buyers.
The participation of Armenian companies in the trade fair was organised with the support of the International Trade Centre (ITC) through the EU4Business project ‘Eastern Partnership: Ready to Trade’, funded by the European Union.
SIAL Paris is one of the leading food trade fairs, taking place every two years in the French capital. This year, it brought together around 7,200 exhibitors from 119 countries, making SIAL Paris a truly global trade fair.
Before arriving in Paris, the companies were coached on how best to prepare for an international trade fair, focusing on intensified promotion activities and detailed information needs for sales discussions with potential buyers.
During the fair, the companies made around 150 business contacts, received two confirmed orders and are expecting another 25 potential orders from different European buyers.
In addition to the meetings with potential clients, the exhibitors also had interesting meetings with European equipment suppliers, such as manufacturers of de-stoning machines for fruits and producers of packaging material.
The participation in SIAL Paris proved to be an excellent opportunity for the Armenian companies to establish business contacts with potential buyers, gain experience in trade fair participation, and understand the requirements of the European markets.
The Ready to Trade project helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access new markets with a focus on the EU, helping SMEs identify and comply with quality and standards to meet international requirements, linking them with buyers along the value chain, and providing cluster support.
In Armenia, the project primarily supports the agro-processing sector, focusing on processed fruits and vegetables, dried fruits and vegetables, and herbs/teas, assisting exporting and export-ready SMEs along the whole value chain, helping them in producing value added goods in accordance with international and EU market requirements, and linking with EU markets.