Seaweed is seen as a modern-day ‘superfood’ due to its nutritional benefits. It can easily be used in many dishes. Seaweed is interesting for the European retail, food service and processing industries. This study focuses on the opportunities and challenges of exporting red, green and brown seaweed. To enter the market you must meet mandatory requirements set by the European Union and focus on sustainability.
The Netherlands is a main entrance point for fresh fruit and vegetables into Europe. Its experience in trading fresh produce and efficient infrastructure make it an interesting country to explore. The Dutch market itself is a competitive market with a well-developed convenience segment and a dominant supermarket channel. Importers play a crucial role in checking whether fresh products meet the specific standards of Dutch supermarkets, as well as those of other European buyers.
The trend of healthier diets is likely to positively impact the demand for spices such as curcuma longa. The Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom remain the main markets for Curcuma longa in Europe. However, the UK has lost its leading position in the European curcuma trade. It used to be the hub for trade, processing and distribution of this spice to other European countries, but since Brexit in 2020 this has changed considerably.
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For most European tourism providers today, embedding sustainability into all aspects of their business has become common practice. Before COVID-19, sustainable tourism was becoming increasingly important to the travelling public. Climate change leading to soaring temperatures, wildfires, floods, and other extreme weather events is now widely accepted to be a direct result of human behaviour. Countries, governments and citizens are urgently seeking to reduce carbon emissions, which impacts every industry in the world, including tourism.
Sustainability in tourism is on the edge of a breakthrough. Present day consumers expect companies to minimize their environmental impact and maximize their social returns. More and more outbound operators expect their partners to work on sustainability. This offers a major competitive advantage for inbound operators who have reached certification. Certification is achievable for all companies, large and small and in all destinations. We do not expect you to do the impossible or anything which does not make business sense. To help businesses we have developed a comprehensive and inspirational training and tool package to lead you through the process and provide international recognition.
Naut Kusters – General Manager, Travelife for Tour Operators
My advice to local tour operators would be to build sustainability into the heart of your business. Think carefully about all the positive and negative impacts your business has on the environment and communities where you operate. Make and implement a clear plan to maximise the benefits and minimise the burdens. This will mean you can confidently communicate your approach, your progress and successes to the companies you do business with. Work closely with others in the destination where you operate to share challenges and solutions, and most of all emphasise how being a sustainable travel company offers a better customer experience – one that’s local, authentic, special and memorable.
Rebecca Armstrong, Destinations Programme Office, The Travel Foundation
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Black pepper, known as the 'king of spices', is the most widely used spice in Europe. Large markets, such as Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Poland, the Netherlands and Italy, offer opportunities for new suppliers from developing countries. To succeed in Europe’s black pepper market, you should focus on delivering high-quality, safe and sustainable products that comply with EU regulations. You must be able to compete with Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia and India by offering either competitive export prices or unique and high-quality products.
Food safety certification combined with reliable and frequent laboratory tests creates a positive image for pepper exporters to Europe. Sustainable production and implementation of corporate social responsibility standards will provide extra advantages for emerging suppliers. The strongest competitors to new pepper suppliers are Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia and India.
Risk diversification in black pepper sourcing is no longer optional. Alongside established suppliers, buyers are exploring new origins like Madagascar to strengthen supply security.
Harold Leurink, manager sales at Spice United.
Webinar recording
25 October 2021
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The growing popularity of Asian, North African and Middle Eastern cuisines, including spice mixes, sauces and condiments like curry sauces, is driving the demand for cumin seeds in Europe. Cumin seeds are also used as an ingredient in products like cheese. Large importing and consuming markets, such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, offer opportunities. Offering high-quality, safe and sustainable products can provide a competitive advantage. New suppliers must be able to compete with established suppliers from India, Syria and Turkey.
Coffee trade is still done mainly through personal relations and traditional trade. However, technological developments have improved many areas of the coffee supply chain and related operations. This includes traceability, farm mapping, farming practices and market analytics. In this study, we share practical tips on how digitalisation plays a role in the coffee sector and what this could mean for you.
Small and medium-sized exporters who actively use the data they already collect such as volumes, processing methods, cupping scores, soil, varieties and traceability along with photos, stories and information about the landscape, can quickly build trust with buyers and distinguish themselves from competitors.
Saurin Nanavati, founder at Ethos Agriculture
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The cocoa trade still mainly takes place through personal relations and traditional trade. However, technology has made many areas of the cocoa supply chain and related operations much better. This includes traceability, farm mapping, farming practices and market analytics. This study contains tips on how digitalisation plays a role in the cocoa sector and what this could mean for you.
I see a lot of projects that assume a level of digital skill and capacity that doesn't exist. I think it’s an uphill battle to get to that point where we can make effective market access interventions that can make the best use of a digital skill set, because right now the digital infrastructure in rural cocoa areas remains very low.
Kristy Leissle, Founder and CEO at African Cocoa Marketplace
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Europeans increasingly rely on software, systems, technologies and processes that are (inter-)connected via the internet. Artificial intelligence (AI) and quickly evolving technologies bring new complexities to the security of people, companies and systems. This makes data and systems vulnerable to cyberattacks and other kinds of cybersecurity threats. And no matter where a cyber threat comes from, it has the potential to be devastating to companies, their employees, and their customers. This is why the European market for cybersecurity is growing fast.