Greek food and beverage companies held a total of 405 Business to Business meetings, as part of a business mission organized by the German Hellenic Chamber of Industry and Commerce, in collaboration with the Hellenic-Asian Business Council, from November 11 to November 21.
The Greek delegation visited four major cities, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and Hong Kong, with the participants having the opportunity to present their products to local importers, distributors and agents and learn about the conditions, demand and competition in each region to shape their strategy and operationally plan the export approach to these crowded and dynamically growing markets.
From Northern Greece, DODONI participated in the mission with plant-based desserts and snacks, MEVGAL and EVROFARMA with dairy products, EURIMAC with pasta, ZANAE with canned tomatoes, ready meals-appetizers, olives and ALMI with antipasti, the ELBAK fruit cannery from Thessaly, Mitira Lesvos from Mytilene, Sparta Spirit from Laconia and Ariston Hellas from the Gargalianous of Messinia along with other brands, and from the beverage sector the Monastery of Chilandari from Mount Athos with its own wine production and Katsaros Distillery from Tyrnavos with traditional ouzo and tsipouro, mastic liqueur and wines.
With the support of the Offices of Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Foreign Ministry in the three countries and the Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, numerous meetings were held, over 30 for each company, which showed that there are possibilities for the specific Greek products to compete successfully with other imported ones, to find their place in stores and super market shelves and to gain a share in mass consumption markets with steadily increasing demand for foods of high taste and nutritional value.
The mature markets of Japan and Korea where consumers are looking for quality, healthy and vegan products show great interest. It requires long-term targeting, persistence and consistency, proper preparation and trust building, dedication of resources, understanding of local culture and customs, series of visits and contacts, timely processing of formalities. The gradual opening of China to the world after the pandemic creates a new kind of demand and competition in a difficult but huge market where Greek companies can strengthen their export footprint with traditional and new products, while Hong Kong is considered a commercial bridge to access many other Asian regions.
