Irish and Scottish Companies Assisted With German Export Plans
This year, 15 food and drink companies from the border regions of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland will be given the chance to review their opportunities on the German food market as part of an EU funded programme aiming to help SMEs supply and trade in international markets.
The ground breaking Access 6 programme aims to increase export sales by €22 million across 90 regional food and drink manufacturers over the next two years. This innovative cross-border programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the INTERREG IVA programme and plans to create an additional 90 new jobs within the participating businesses, and up-skill a further 400 SMEs across the regions.
German-based international food consultancy, Green Seed Germany, is working on behalf of the Irish Exporters Association, Northern Ireland Food & Drink Association, and Scotland Food & Drink aiming to provide food and drink companies from these regions with the skill-sets, professional marketing assistance and logistical support to successfully supply to the German market.
To date, three Irish companies, Kinnegar Brewing, Donegal Rapeseed Oil and Dan Kelly’s Cider have been selected for their suitability for the German food retail and food service sectors along with a range of Scottish and Northern Irish whiskeys, ales, meats and sauces.
John Whelan, Access 6 Programme Director comments: “As Europe’s largest market, this German launch is critical for our ‘Access 6′ Export Programme. Working with local consultants – Green Seed Germany – we aim to equip the food and drink companies with key knowledge, tools and confidence to break into the diverse marketplace.”
He adds: “We will be delivering a range of training modules and study tours to help increase the companies’ competitive advantage. The crucial stage will be meeting with the retailers and food service providers to secure listings, however we have every confidence that our chosen suppliers will succeed having been chosen for the high quality of their unique products and export readiness.”
Beyond Germany, additional clusters will also be established targeting export markets in France, Benelux, UK, Scandinavia and North America, offering further opportunities to other small and medium sized food and drink companies across the focus regions.
