Click here to view the photo report for Freskon 2018.
Freskon continues to grow, with this year’s edition hosting 210 exhibitors, in comparison to 191 in 2017. Visitors included some of the largest supermarket chains in Europe, along with exhibitors from 22 countries. In addition, 2500 meetings were scheduled with 150 foreign hosted buyers from 31 countries.
Standholder Mariana Miltenova, from the Bulgarian National Horticultural Union, said that although having a stand at the event is great, “The best thing about Freskon for us is the hosted buyer meetings that are the arranged by the organisers of the show. It’s a great way for us to really make the most of the event and find new partners.”
Although the Greek market is still considered a traditional one, social media like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are making a big impact and this could be seen at the different stands. Organics, exotics and superfoods are on the rise in Greece, although this is still a small market share, since prices can be a bit out of reach for the average Greek consumer. However, with more and more producers taking risks with ‘niche’ products, this does give them a product with added value for the international market.
Click here to view the photo report for Freskon 2018.
Greek company Bogdanis is a good example of this, selling exotics, edible flowers and fresh cut salad mixes which are grown in Italy, for the Greek market, and surrounding Balkan countries such as Romania and Bulgaria. The company felt that Freskon was also a great opportunity to introduce two products that they would like to make their way into supermarkets, pasta made with courgette, carrots and beets, and fresh herbal tea mixing which including edible flowers. Farm Vezyroglou is another example, making baby green luxury salad mixes, where they are introducing baby kale in a gradual way, by mixing it with other greens which are well known to the market, encouraging consumers to take a small risk and try something new.
Starting the 1st of May, we will have a special section devoted to Greece, where we will be highlighting some of the company's, and new products we saw at this year’s Freskon, so please stay tuned to learn more!
Click here to view the photo report for Freskon 2018.