Friday, 07 May 2010
“I’m particularly pleased with the success that Fun Foods 4 All has been able to achieve in such a short time from participating in this Food and Drink Cluster activity and I encourage other food and drink companies in the West Midlands to take advantage of the opportunities available via the Cluster.”
Shernel Stevenson, UKTI Regional International Trade Adviser
Fund Foods 4 All products
Coventry novelty food company wins new business in Poland
A Coventry company’s organic pasta products for children can now be found on the shelves of a leading international retail chain in Poland – with help from UK Trade & Investment.
Fun Foods 4 All, of Courtaulds Way, supplies a range of children’s character pasta products – in the shapes of Bob the Builder, Scooby Doo, the Simpsons and Thomas the Tank Engine – to leading UK supermarkets such as Asda, Morrisons and Tesco.
Company director Nigel Singh recently undertook a Trade Development Visit to Warsaw with UK Trade & Investment’s Food and Drink Cluster to find out more about opportunities in the market.
Nigel said: “Coincidentally we had been contacted by a Polish distributor just before I visited the market and I had a face-to-face meeting with the company while I was there.
“The timing was perfect and it made a huge difference that we were able to meet – the deal was concluded within a couple of weeks and we have already sent out our second order.
“Our products are now being sold in all Intermarché stores in Poland and we would never have achieved this so quickly if we hadn’t visited the market with the West Midlands Food and Drink Cluster.”
The value of the business over the next year is estimated at about £150,000.
About 30 per cent of Fun Foods 4 All’s annual turnover of approximately £1.5m is export business and this is expected to grow rapidly. The company has three employees.
During the visit to Poland, participating firms gained an overview of the market and the sector from UK Trade & Investment’s commercial team at the British Embassy in Warsaw and visited a number of local stores and the country’s main food and drink exhibition, IFE Poland.
UK Trade & Investment regional International Trade Adviser – Food and Drink, Shernel Stevenson, based at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, manages the international trade element of Advantage West Midlands’ Food and Drink Cluster.
She said: “This market visit to Poland was a great success. The feedback from all the West Midlands companies that participated was excellent as they all met new contacts and are currently following up strong enquiries.
Contacts
If you are interested in developing your business in Poland please contact:
Email: liz.basing@fco.gov.uk