Saint-Charles Export attended the Fruit Logistica Berlin event, with the same-sized delegation as in 2017. 15 businesses exhibited under the Saint-Charles Export brand, covering a total area of 144m², representing both the traditional and organic production of fruit and vegetables from Spain, Morocco and France.
The numbers were also boosted by attendance from a freight forwarder, experts in fruit/vegetable variety research, a business specialising in sorting and packaging equipment, a software firm and transporters/logisticians.
Away from the main stand, Perpignan’s visibility was further reinforced by the dozen business associates of the Saint-Charles Export group that exhibited with their parent companies in different parts of the trade fair, particularly in the areas dedicated to Spain and Morocco.
In collaboration with South of France Development, preparation work began in July 2017 for a large regional stand. Saint-Charles Export’s attendance at this event has once again been supported by the Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée Regional Council.
In terms of clients, the trade fair’s location in Berlin meant that the German, Austrian, Swiss, Polish and Czech markets, amongst others, were the key players – especially as Germany is Saint-Charles Export’s biggest client country outside France. This was therefore a perfect opportunity to establish new contacts and to strengthen existing relationships. You may recall that associates of Saint-Charles International export over 700,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables abroad.
On the production side, this trade fair also allowed associates of Saint-Charles International to create contacts with South America, Tunisia and the Middle East, who were present in large numbers. Of course, existing relationships were also strengthened between the platform and its two principle supplier countries: Spain and Morocco.
To offer a more complete picture, this trade fair is an excellent opportunity for anyone who works with so-called ‘out-of-season’ produce.
Fruit Logistica Berlin welcomes professionals from over 130 countries around the world, as well as 77,000 global buyers, who will meet 3,155 fruit and vegetable exhibitors from 80 nations. The French delegation included 170 exhibitors across an area of 2500m².
Berlin was of particular interest for Saint-Charles International due to the latest technologies on display during the trade fair, as well as the choice of conference topics, particularly logistics.
Other events in 2018
Saint-Charles Export will have a larger delegation at both Medfel in Perpignan, taking place at the end of April, and Fruit Attraction Madrid. These two events will both be celebrating their tenth birthday in 2018.
A unanimous reaction from the professional exhibitors:
Mr. Romuald Delaplace, from 2FL - Fresh Forward Logistics: ‘A fantastic trade fair, undoubtedly one of the best for our sector. It seemed quieter than usual, but what we lacked in quantity we made up for in the quality of our contacts.’
Mr. Olivier Skrock, from Festival: ‘A very interesting trade fair, which provided opportunities to informally meet with potential clients that we would have never otherwise encountered. I felt like there were fewer people, but this actually improved the business atmosphere, because it was much quicker and easier to see people. It was a much more pleasant working environment than usual.’
Ms. Laurence Maillard, from Agro Sélection Fruits: ‘Taking into account our growth and the type of work we do, Berlin is a hugely important trade fair for us. We were able to meet with our global partners from across the world in a short time, and no time was wasted. Moreover, this trade fair showed the fruit and vegetable industry to be a dynamic and constantly-evolving sector.’
Mr. Julien Batlle, President of Saint-Charles Export and Ille Roussillon: ‘As other people have remarked, I also felt like there were fewer people at the trade fair, and yet when I wrote the assessment of these 3 days, I left with plenty of good contacts. In 2018, Fruit Logistica has proved once again that it is still a hugely important trade fair in the fruit and vegetable industry.’
For more information:
Saint Charles International
0033 4 68 54 66 40