Prodeca fills the international calendar with #CatalanFood activities

In the last quarter of the year PRODECA - Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda is running some twenty trade activities in markets of strategic importance to Catalan companies: the United States, Japan, China, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. 

These activities form part of Prodeca's 2023 Internationalisation Plan, encourage the internationalisation of Catalan companies and fall under objective 3 of the plan: increasing the perceived value of Catalan food by giving visibility to and energising the Catalan companies and products present in the various markets.

Coordinated with six international marketing agencies and supported by some of the Catalan government's delegations abroad, the types of activity are: 

• Catalan Food Workshops

They are workshops on Catalan products led by a chef or sommelier, aimed at professionals (distributors, wholesalers and retailers, chefs, sommeliers, purchasing managers from restaurants, hotels and catering, etc.) where importers present products. The workshops will have a Christmas-food variant promoting fine food products, wines and Christmas specialities. These are more educational events and can be complemented by Catalan Food Master Classes, sessions led by a highly regarded chef, sommelier or opinion leader. 

• Catalan Food Show

This is a showcase of Catalan products in which the exhibitors are the importers and the visitors are distributors, wholesalers and retailers, chefs and purchasing managers from restaurants, hotels and catering. The format opens the door to holding Catalan Food Master Class or Catalan Food Taste workshops at the same venue.

• Catalan Food Street Show

At these Catalan product fairs the exhibitors are also the importers, but they are aimed mainly at end consumers, with the option of adding a tasting area for Catalan products or dishes.  

• Point-of-sale promotions

Under the Catalan Food name and that of the store, there will be displays of Catalan products in retail outlets alongside a Catalan food tasting area, to encourage purchases and introduce these products to consumers in those markets. 

Markets with food consumption growth above the world average

Prodeca chose these markets for the commercial reach they offer Catalan companies. These 17 markets (the United States, Japan, China, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia) accounted for 53.20% of world food consumption in 2022 and will account for 55.61% in 2027. 

These markets also expect food consumption to grow by almost 20% overall by 2027, above the world average of 14.55% (the only exception is Japan, with growth forecast below 4%).  

Catalan companies therefore have an excellent opportunity to consolidate their presence in these strategic markets. Catalan exports to these 17 countries accounted for almost 30% of both volume and value in 2022. Evidence of their importance and growing trend is the growth in Catalan exports over the last 10 years: from 2012 to 2022 sales of Catalan products rose by almost 130% in value and 100% in volume, in line with the agri-food sector's shift from volume to value in recent years. 

More than 150 registrations for the coming #CatalanFood activities around the world 

Prodeca has opened a call for Catalan companies to take part in the first activities in these strategic markets, which has already drawn more than 150 registrations from Catalan companies. 

On 20 and 29 November respectively there will be the Catalan Food Showcase Berlin and Catalan Food Showcase Londres, events promoting Catalan cuisine and agri-food products already present in Germany and the United Kingdom, aimed at journalists and content creators, in collaboration with the Catalan government's delegations in Germany and the UK. Each event will feature around forty Catalan companies, and guests will be able to take part in gourmet workshops, get to know Catalan products and taste dishes at a live showcooking. 

On 22 and 23 November there will be the Catalan Food Street Show Tokyo, a food showcase in central Tokyo (in the Shibuya Cast gardens) displaying more than 60 Catalan products, with more than 2,000 visitors expected. The event will also have a tasting area pairing Catalan wine with tapas made by the renowned Lleida chef Josep Barahona, who has lived in Japan for more than 30 years. 

In Mexico, in collaboration with the Catalan Government Delegation there, there will be a Catalan Food Christmas Mexico on 23 November, with a space for displaying, tasting and selling more than 50 Catalan products through their importers in the country. The event is aimed mainly at end consumers and the Catalan community in Mexico, but opinion leaders, influencers and the specialist press are also expected. 

From 1 to 10 December, 10 Catalan restaurants in Japan will hold Catalan Week in Japan, adapting their menus during those days to present a menu centred on Catalan cuisine with Catalan products as the stars. 

During November and December, Catalan wineries present in China will be able to take part in the Catalan Food Show China, a series of roadshows in major Chinese cities organised by Interwine China. Participation is planned in up to 16 roadshows across the country, in cities such as Xiamen, Beijing, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Foshan, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Huizhou, Shaoguan, Shantou and Haikou. 

In the United States there will be two Catalan Food Christmas Workshop events, on 5 December in New York and 12 December in Washington. In collaboration with the Catalan Government Delegation to the United States, each will consist of a day displaying Catalan produce and a Christmas product workshop led by chef Úrsula Disset. Each event is aimed at 40 selected professionals from the surrounding area, mainly gourmet shops and  restaurants, and aims to position Catalan products in a value segment.

The week of 4 to 10 December brings the Catalan Food Dean & Deluca, a point-of-sale promotion in Kuwait displaying and selling around a hundred Catalan lines at the chain's supermarket on one of Kuwait's busiest streets.

Also with the Christmas campaign in mind, three point-of-sale promotions have been organised in Africa. From 19 to 22 December there will be the Catalan Food Wines Show, simultaneous Catalan wine promotions at three outlets in Accra (Ghana), Lagos (Nigeria) and Lusaka (Zambia). In Ghana the promotion will be at Bacchus Wine & Liquor, one of the country's best-selling wine shops; in Nigeria with Arzeh Integrated Limited, one of the most experienced brands in African market distribution; and in Zambia with Kazuma Enterprises Limited, the country's largest distributor. All three will be backed by marketing activities to raise awareness of Catalan wines in those markets. 

Prodeca presents the international website CatalanFood.com 

#CatalanFood is the reference brand for international agri-food marketing activities and is also the website name from which the distinctive features of Catalan food and cuisine are communicated, along with the activities in each geographical area where actions are run for Catalan companies. 

The launch of this website aims to be the gateway to Catalan produce for international, mainly trade, audiences who want to learn about Catalan produce, Catalonia's food culture and the commercial potential of its business sector.