Member companies of Saint-Charles Export participated, with the assistance of the Occitania region, in a reception for international buyers. The choice of the period allows for a visit to the productions of the department and for a discussion of the upcoming stone fruit season. Buyers could also admire the logistics assets of the Saint-Charles platform, and observe the diversity of fruits, vegetables and citrus fruits offered by the international trading companies through the many origins present on the platform. So, for three days, Switzerland was in the spotlight in the department.”
Five buyers were mobilized with the help of Business France (the French agency for the international development of companies). These visitors represent a large Swiss group that is a distributor, wholesaler and importer, with a fleet of more than 100 delivery trucks, and counting more than 700 employees and 6,900 clients.
They boast a rather diversified clientele, from Food Services, gastronomy, hotels, cafes and restaurants (traditional or starred), as well as small and large retailers. The 6 commercial companies of this group, spread all over Switzerland, bring in an annual revenue of 400 million euros [452 million USD], making it a leader in fresh, refrigerated and frozen products.
This group was particularly interested in the Saint-Charles platform because of the many companies able to offer complementary products in terms of range and calendar, compared to the Swiss production. They were also interested in the companies’ capacity to provide the logistics, to group whole or mixed pallets, and to manage the customs formalities required by Switzerland.
During their visit to the member companies of Saint-Charles Export, these buyers were able to enjoy tomatoes, lettuce, bell peppers, artichokes and oranges, and discuss about the nectarines and apricots that will arrive soon on the market.
About 15 member companies of Saint-Charles Export attended this reception and a true business atmosphere reigned during the mission, allowing the buyers to view the products, observe the handling operations and the quality controls in the warehouses, but also to visit the cold facilities, the greenhouses or even the packing and shipping stations, while talking “business” with the companies’ marketing teams.
There were therefore very good exchanges, and all the companies had the opportunity to promote their expertise, arousing the interest of some decision-maker of the group. At the end of their visit the buyers requested quotations from all the companies they had contacted.
All the conditions were met for this meeting to be a real success, and to fully satisfy their initial goal which was to understand how the platform operates and meet key interlocutors.
For more information:
Saint Charles International
communication@saintcharlesinternational.fr
www.public-saintcharlesinternational.com