With only seven stands left to fill, exhibition space for the first Nordic Organic Food Fair is on track to sell out well over a month before its October launch event, says event organiser Diversified Business Communications UK.
The latest companies to confirm their presence in Malmö, Sweden, on 20-21 October are Swedish importer Olivlunden and Mitroulis Winery, based in Northern Greece. They’ll be bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to the exhibitor line-up, which now includes 83 organic food and drink producers and suppliers from 13 different countries.
No stranger to international events (having already hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in May), MalmöMassän’s halls will once again be buzzing with the sights and sounds (not to mention the aromas and flavours) of healthy international competition. As hundreds of organic food and drink products from Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, the UK and the USA via for a position on the menus and store shelves of the show’s visiting retailers and foodservice professionals from across Scandinavia (and beyond).
The show’s strong exhibitor uptake – particularly from outside Scandinavia – reflects the important role that this region now plays in many international company’s expansion strategies. With many looking to fill the significant – and growing – demands for organic food from countries like Sweden, where imports account for around 50% of organic sales.
Indeed, many organic advocates believe that the organic food market in Scandinavia has never looked healthier. The latest figures from Organic Denmark indict that 400 restaurants, cafés, and canteens are now displaying its Organic Eating Label (Det Økologiske Spisemærke). Sweden’s KRAV (the country’s best known eco-labels for organic food) says that there are now around 800 KRAV-certified restaurants. One of the largest supermarket chains in Norway – Kiwi – reported 145 percent increases in organic food sales so far this year (compared to the same time in 2012). And, whilst the market is notably smaller in Finland, it too is continuing to enjoy 50% year-on-year growth in organic food sales.
Widespread international interest in the show has also prompted the launch of another new pavilion – hosted by marketing association Agrarmarketing Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e. V, which will be promoting organic food and drink products from the Mecklenburg-West Pomerania region in North-eastern Germany. It joins previously announced pavilions from the UK’s Soil Association, Biodynamic Demeter, and KRAV.
Jarste Weuffen, Agrarmarketing Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V’s managing director, believes that the launch is “perfect” for promoting the “diverse organic products” of its members. Adding that the decision to exhibit at the new launch would strength and “grow our [member companies’] trading links in Scandinavia”.
It’s a view shared by many of the show’s pavilion participants, including Lee Holdstock, trade relations manager at Soil Association Certification (the UK’s largest organic certification body).
“We’re proud to support the Nordic Organic Food Fair. Our presence there will form a key part of our Export Support Program, helping UK Soil Association symbol holders access new markets in the Nordic region,” explains Holdstock.
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