Olive Oil Business Forum 2023: More than 200 B2B Meetings Between Catalan Olive Oil Companies and International Buyers

This Tuesday, the B2B meetings of the second Olive Oil Business Forum began at the Llotja de Lleida, a business gathering between Catalan olive oil producers and international market operators with the aim of establishing commercial relationships in the agri-food sector. The event, organized by PRODECA - Department of Climate Action, Food, and Rural Agenda, together with ACCIÓ, the agency for business competitiveness under the Department of Business and Labor, and the Lleida Chamber of Commerce, features the participation of 19 Catalan companies and 10 importers and distributors from six European and Asian countries. 

The second Olive Oil Business Forum kicked off on Monday with international buyers visiting several mills in the Ponent region to understand the reality of the sector, as well as a gastronomic proposal featuring a menu highlighting the taste and aroma characteristics of olive oil. The day concluded with an institutional welcome at the Hotel Finca Prats in Lleida.

The B2B meetings starting today aim to maximize the commercial contact of international importers who have traveled to Lleida to expand their portfolio of agri-food suppliers. Today and tomorrow, more than 200 business meetings will take place in a 25-minute interview format, designed to streamline contact and business negotiations. The afternoon session is reserved for visits to Catalan company facilities by importers who have shown interest in their products.

“These meetings are an initial approach between the Catalan company and the international buyer, where both parties have a clear understanding of what they want to offer and what they need to acquire. 20 minutes is enough time for Catalan producers to introduce themselves, explain their product, and highlight what makes them unique. Our experience, both with last year’s Olive Oil Business Forum and with other Business Forums organized by Prodeca, shows that this type of event works to help Catalan companies open up to new markets and clients,” explained Prodeca's director, Ramon Sentmartí. 

The president of the Lleida Chamber of Commerce, Jaume Saltó, emphasized that “the expertise we already have in the wine sector is something we now want to transfer to the olive oil sector, another important agri-food subsector in our region.”

One of the Most Promising Sectors in the Catalan Agri-Food Industry

The olive oil sector, according to the olive oil sector mapping in Catalonia, conducted by Prodeca and ACCIÓ at the end of 2020, currently consists of 347 producing companies generating €863 million in revenue and employing approximately 1,500 workers.

The report states that the vast majority of Catalan olive oil companies are SMEs (99%). It is a well-established sector, with over 60% of businesses having more than 10 years of experience, and 25% exceeding 50 years. Geographically, 51% of these companies are concentrated in Tarragona (179), while Lleida, the second-largest region in terms of company numbers (89), accounts for 64% of the sector’s total revenue (€554.63M).