"It is all about building trust, which is why events such as Fresh Market Warsaw are so important. Through our established contacts, who are also present, they can share their experiences of us with other visitors, which is really to our advantage. It doesn't make things easy, but it is an asset to forging new business relationships." said Marc.
"Sure, language can get in the way at times, with both sides needing to communicate in English. However, both sides have the same goals and that is to bring high quality products to the market."
Marc Betjes from Lava (left) and Tom Premereur from Reo Veiling.
"You can sense that the Polish market is becoming more and more competitive for the western market. They are more and more active in exports, not only for Europe, but also in new markets like Asia and Dubai. They also lost Russia, even though Russia was even more important for them, so they are also very actively looking to find markets for their products, which puts enormous pressure on prices. The tomato and apple prices are dramatic here, to the point when they are sometimes forced to leave fruits on the plants because it is not cost-efficient to harvest them, and then in the winter they are short of produce, and start to import. It has really been an interesting market to get to know." said Tom Premereur from Reo Veiling.
Polish consumers recognise Flandria label
When it comes to tomatoes, the different varieties supplied to Poland always carry the Flandria label. "This is how we are trying to bring all of our vegetables to the market here in Poland. The brand is well known, so we haven't any problems with brand recognition. When we come to the market and say Prince, Princess, Fine Fleur or Tomabel, people know that they are getting a quality product from Belgium. We carefully monitor sorting and sizes to ensure that there are never any problems, and we stand behind our products. When a truck arrives with tomatoes, we make sure that what arrives is impeccable, because anything else is not acceptable." said Marc.
However, Poland still remains an unusual market and not all traders have the same standards. Quality costs money, which many traders realise, but not all. Marc said that some companies in Poland insist on carrying products with the Flandria or Tomabel brands, as a way to set themselves apart from their competitors.
"For the Polish market, the bottom line is that it is a question of supply and demand, which varies from year to year. For example, it was really bad in Poland during the summer last year and we were able to sell everything from Belgium, and now this year, the opposite is true. We have a shortage of potatoes in Belgium and there is too much Polish supply, so they are exporting to us to fill the gap in the market. That is what is interesting to us: that supply and demand can completely switch sides from year to year and it is great if we can work together to fill the gaps." concluded Marc Betjes.
For more information:
Tom Premereur
Reo Veiling
Tel: +32 (0)51231211
Fax: +32 (0)51231289
Email: tprm@reo.be
www.reo.be
Marc Betjes
Lava
Tel: +32 (0)15504258
Fax: +32 (0)15504260
Email: marc.betjes@lava.be
www.lava.be