Business booms in Brussels
A number of the Scottish exhibitors at this year’s Seafood Expo Global – where attendance was impacted by the bombs preceding the event – have expressed their belief that the comparatively low turnout actually helped them seal their deals.
As David Rae, Head of Brand & International Sales at Dawnfresh Seafood, reflects: “Although this year seemed to be a little quieter than previous years, the buyers that did visit us were more motivated to close sales. Our main focus was to launch our fantastic new ranges of Ready to Eat, Ready to Cook and Ready to Party fish to the retail and foodservice sector, and we had strong interest from buyers in Europe and beyond – which we are confident will lead to additional listings.
“We also signed a new deal to sell Harasu trout bellies to a company in Japan, which will add another new territory to our international business. Overall, the Scotland stand created an impressive showcase for Scotland’s produce, and it was a great success for us.”
Companies attending included Associated Seafoods; Caley Fisheries Ltd; Cooke Aquaculture; Dawnfresh; Highland Smoked Salmon; International Fish Canners / Nor-sea foods; JK Thompson; Loch Duart; Loch Fyne Oysters; Scot Prime Seafoods Limited; Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation; St James Smokehouse; Scottish Salmon Company; Whitelink Seafoods; Lunar Freezing & Cold Storage Company Limited.
Natalie Bell, Trade Marketing Manager for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Asia) at Seafood Scotland, adds: “The seafood industry is crucial to Scotland’s success, and as an industry, we are responsible for attracting business to Scotland by showcasing our sustainable, world-class products. With buyers wielding global purchasing power present in Brussels, we’re delighted to report such a successful trip.”
Cameron Brown, Managing Director of Loch Fyne Oysters, concludes: “This year’s event was about quality rather than quantity. It was certainly quieter than usual, which probably made it the most productive event I’ve ever been involved in. We managed to meet most of our partners from around the world, to pick up some additional business and are also following up numerous new leads in new territories and markets now. All in all, Brussels has been a great success for us at Loch Fyne and we’re looking forward to the next show in 2017.”
