Selling more and better: "Opportunities for small producers, new sales channels and internationalisation" at the first Catalan Gastronomic Marketing Congress

On 30 April in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Prodeca's managing director, Ramon Sentmartí, spoke on the round table "Opportunities for small producers, new sales channels and internationalisation" at the 1st Catalan Gastronomic Marketing Congress. 

The aims of the session were to reflect on new sales channels and the opportunities internationalisation offers. And to answer questions: are consumers now, after the pandemic, demanding more local produce at their point of sale? Is the economic activity generated in Catalonia an opportunity for producers? What online marketing do they manage? Is the online channel a reality or a future necessity? Is internationalisation a resource or a natural outlet?

Sentmartí described the case of Anela Fruits, which grew as a business from a local base and now export more than 50% of their output to international markets. And that of Pommy House, a company that markets pomegranate and has worked on product development with the Alícia foundation to find added value in the category. 

Prodeca's managing director reviewed Catalonia's great food heritage through several concrete examples, such as having the world's largest number of thousand-year-old olive trees, and also its great assets: the Mediterranean diet, culinary excellence, export capacity, leading innovation centres, great product diversity and a strong sector worth more than 16% of GDP and the country's leading economic sector. 

Sentmartí shared the Catalan Food Council's plans through the Strategic Food Plan for Catalonia and outlined Prodeca's local competitiveness services for small producers: Gastroteca, the tool for digitalising local produce; De prop: virtual business meetings; Benvinguts a Pagès: the project promoting local sales; Àpats Catalunya, promoting local products at official events; tools and resources to help companies make decisions; and the new brand projecting the future positioning of Catalan food both locally and internationally: Catalonia, where food is culture.

He closed his talk with a set of recommendations for improving company competitiveness: authenticity, professional service, market knowledge, assessing each market's barriers, synergies, Mediterranean values, gourmet positioning and so on.

The talks could be followed in person at the Neàpolis auditorium in the Garraf county capital, and also via streaming. They can now be watched again on Node Garraf's YouTube channel. The congress drew more than 300 delegates, with professionals from companies such as Agrofresc, Anthesis La Vola, Blai Peris, Caprabo, Damm, Gallina Blanca, Glass Canned Wines, Horeca Solutions, Laduc, La Fageda, Oleum Flumen, Olivé Rueda, Sant Aniol, Unilever and Veritas.