The London Produce Show & Conference in London is an event in which various actors from the food chain are present. It is a platform where suppliers, buyers, nutritionists, chefs, and other professionals linked to the world of food, can find all sorts of food products, including seeds, that can be used to prepare tasty dishes.
"Our participation in this event is part of the campaign defined for the European market and supported by ProChile. On this occasion we were present with an exhibition of our fruit export offer in a 6 square-meter stand. We also held a Cooking Show and participated in a conference to promote our fruits among food service operators, national media, importers, retail chains and distributors," said Charif Christian Carvajal, the ASOEX's Marketing Director for the Asian and European Markets.
Carvajal added that Chile's participation also included representatives of Chilean producers and exporters of fresh fruits and other foods.
Chef from Harrods
Chef Alistair Dibbs, the deputy executive director of Harrods (a large luxury store in London), used fresh Chilean fruits to prepare culinary delicacies that highlighted the freshness and taste of the Chilean products. Nothing was left to chance, fresh chunks of salmon were accompanied with delicious sauces and preparations based on Chilean table grapes, among other preparations. "We invited 50 major media outlets in England to participate in this Master Cooking Show, where they were able to know our fruits and the diversity they have to accompany numerous recipes," Carvajal added.
There was also a Master Class where the Chileans shared important information about their fruit sector. The activity was led by Prue Leith, a prominent restaurant entrepreneur, writer, and television host in England, who, along with Carvajal, highlighted the attributes of the Chilean products.
The Chilean Ambassador to England, Rolando Drago, and ProChile's Commercial Attaché and Director in England, Ignacio Fernandez, also participated in the event, highlighting Chile's great food export offerings, which includes fish, shellfish, olive, wines, and fresh and dried fruits.
Exports
According to ASOEX statistics, during the 2015-2016 season, Chile exported 106,863 tons of fresh fruit to England, i.e. 10% more than in the 2014-2015 season thanks to the significant increase in avocado exports, which increased by about 160% (from 6,967 tons to 18,253 tons).
The exported commodities include table grapes (28.2% of total exports), red apples (23.5%), avocados (17.1%) and blueberries (9.2%).