The sun and beach tourism market is a large and one of the most popular holiday types. In recent years, there has been a notable shift away from traditional beach destinations towards places that are off the beaten track and offer cultural and adventurous activities. This creates great opportunities for local tour operators. Sustainability is key to success, as pristine beaches and clean, clear waters are the most important components to success in the sun and beach tourism sector.
Belgium is a major importer of green coffee and an important trade hub in Europe. The port of Antwerp is known for its large capacity for stocking. However, the country also has a significant roasting industry and consumer market. EU legislation applies as Belgium is part of the European Union. Brazil, Honduras and Peru are Belgium’s main Arabica suppliers. Vietnam and India are the most important Robusta suppliers.
Rising incomes and growing interest in high-quality coffees bring interesting opportunities to the Eastern European coffee market. Multinational companies and mainstream brands currently dominate the market in this region, but specialised small coffee roasters are rapidly emerging, especially in Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania. The specialty market is still a very small niche market, but it opens doors for exporters of high-quality coffees and the establishment of more direct relationships with buyers.
The Scandinavian market offers many opportunities for producing country suppliers. The Scandinavian market is not the largest, but it values quality and sustainable sourcing. This market therefore offers special opportunities to certified suppliers and suppliers of premium and specialty coffee. Five larger roasters dominate the Scandinavian market.
Selling specialty coffee in Europe requires meeting strict EU rules, which apply to food safety, hygiene, labelling, and limits for pesticides and mycotoxins, as well as proper packaging and payment terms. Sustainability regulation is becoming stricter. Coffee quality is often judged using the older Q grading system, while the newer Coffee Value Assessment is slowly gaining ground. The specialty coffee market is highly competitive, with different quality segments and sales channels.
Build relationships and own your value chain. This offers you more direct feedback, committed buyers and ownership over your product."
John Gibson, head of sourcing at The Coffee Collective
Webinar recording
19 May 2022 Exporting Specialty Coffee to Europe
Search
Enter search terms to find market research
Specialty coffee is valued for its distinctive qualities and higher market price. The European market is large and still growing, led by Germany and the United Kingdom (UK), but it is also changing as new varieties and post‑harvest‑processed coffees become more in-demand. Due to higher prices, the mid-range specialty segment is under increasing pressure.
Three companies dominate the Belgian cocoa market: Barry Callebaut, Cargill and Puratos. They supply 90% of the couverture in Belgium. The largest exporters of cocoa beans to Belgium are Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ecuador and Ghana. Most imported cocoa is re-exported as cocoa beans, derivatives or Belgian chocolate. It is therefore important that the cocoa meets Belgian requirements, European Union (EU) requirements and possibly also requirements for other European countries.
For a small country like Belgium, chocolate is a powerful part of its economic activity. And with great power comes great responsibility.
Charles Snoeck, Beyond Chocolate Programme Manager at IDH
Search
Enter search terms to find market research
Belgian chocolate is famous around the world. It is produced under strict requirements and is a major export product for Belgium. With its large chocolate industry, Belgium is an important hub for cocoa bean imports from producing countries. Most of its chocolate is produced by three manufacturers: Barry Callebaut, Cargill and Puratos. These three companies dominate the chocolate supply. Sustainability is very important in Belgium, and a large share of the market already buys certified cocoa. This share is expected to keep growing.
Adventure travel is one of the most important tourism niches in the world today and continues to grow. Europeans make up the second-largest group of adventure travellers and are keen to explore new landscapes and go on adventures in different parts of the world. Many of them book trips with specialist tour operators, use online travel agencies for adventure experiences, and make direct bookings through local tour operators.
Cruise tourism in Europe requires a lot of hard work and knowledge. To help you prepare CBI provides a Market Potential study with a list of European countries that offer the most opportunities for cruise tourism and it describes the trends that offer new opportunities. The Market Entry study on this page contains information about buyer requirements and certifications, main market segments and distribution channels as well as information about the competition.