Prodeca connects Catalan companies with managers from leading supermarket chains in South Korea, Japan and China 

Between October and December, Prodeca is running seven virtual business meetings eBusiness With in South Korea, Japan and China so that Catalan food and drink companies can present their products to the purchasing managers of several supermarket chains in these strategic markets. 

The aim eBusiness With is to establish a first contact between the purchasing managers of the leading retail chains in these markets and Catalan companies, so they can present their products with the aim of getting them onto the stores' shelves. The business meetings, which run into early 2023, are with the following supermarket chains:

• eBusiness With Hyundai Green Food (South Korea)
• eBusiness With Vino-H (South Korea)
• eBusiness With Meidi-Ya (Japan)
• eBusiness With Aeon – Caférrant (Japan) 
• eBusiness With Qingtian Macro Import & Export Trade (China)
• eBusiness With Shanghai Kingfoods Condiment (China)
• eBusiness With Anhui Haojiushiguang Trading (China) 

eBusiness With is a Prodeca trade promotion format designed to spread the word about the diversity of Catalonia's agri-food offer among the leading retail chains in strategic markets through virtual meetings. By gathering the commercial interests of the various retailers, Prodeca puts before buyers all the Catalan companies interested in entering the market in question so the buyer can make a selection and meet the companies with potential for generating business. 

Participating international companies, leaders in their markets

The retail chains have extensive networks of distribution centres in their countries and specialist food and drink shops.

• Hyundai Green Food: a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group conglomerate with several businesses linked to the agri-food sector, such as food service, B2B distribution, retail and hospitality.
• VINO-H: a company that comes from the Hyundai Green Food holding and operates restaurants and premium supermarkets.
• Meidi-Ya: a gourmet supermarket chain regarded as one of the most prestigious in Japan.
• Caférrant: a supermarket chain of the Japanese AEON group specialising in importing gourmet products.
• Kingfood Condiment: pioneers of international food in China working with large-scale retail, gourmet shops and the online channel.
• Anhui Haojiushiguang Trading: an importer in China with a multichannel sales strategy covering convenience stores, O2O (online-to-offline) supermarkets and online platforms.
• Qingtian Macro Import & Export Trade: a Chinese importer with a broad portfolio of imported products and a network of supermarket, online and O2O sales channels.

Catalan companies' participation depends on the buyer's interest and commercial needs: starting from the products most in demand among the managers of the participating international supermarket chains, the Catalan producers include wine and cava wineries, olive oil producers and companies from the fine food or multi-product sector such as jams, sweets, chocolates, cheeses, preserves, olives, coffee, snacks and nuts, among others. 

Prodeca has already closed registration for the eBusiness With and has presented the Catalan companies' profiles and products to the international importers. Once the buyer's interest is confirmed, Prodeca schedules the meetings B2B meetings on a digital platform and also arranges for samples from the selected Catalan companies to be sent to each destination company so that, with support from the local office staff, importers have them to hand and can see and taste them during the B2B meetings.

"The registration figures for Catalan companies at these events show the growing interest of the Catalan agri-food sector in reaching new markets", explains Prodeca's director, Ramon Sentmartí. "This is an initiative where we adapt to international retailers' needs, a filter that ensures the meetings that do take place can bear commercial fruit because they start from genuine buyer interest. Our aim is to open a direct route for Catalan products to gain shelf space in supermarkets in these strategic markets and for Catalan companies to build stable trade relations with new international partners", he added.

An initiative supported by the Prodeca offices in the destination markets

This type of initiative has on-the-ground support from the Prodeca offices (in this case those in South Korea, Japan and China) , plus the sending of samples by Catalan companies that wish to, so buyers can experience Catalan agri-food products first hand. Prodeca covers the cost of organising these meetings and provides support and advice, as well as drawing up a schedule of individual meetings based on buyers' interests.

In line with its aim of guiding agri-food companies in their international expansion, Prodeca has a network of Catalan Government Delegations and Prodeca offices in strategic markets to strengthen the advice and support given to companies seeking to establish or consolidate their role in those countries. The agri-food officers placed in the Catalan Government Delegations in Germany, Mexico and the United States are complemented by offices in eight strategic markets: Africa, the Middle East, South America, South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). These are professionals experienced in the sector, both in Catalonia and in the destination country, through whom Prodeca organises various types of trade activity and who advise companies in the destination markets.