A Coventry company's organic pasta products for children can now
be found on the shelves of a leading international retail chain in
Poland - with help from UK Trade & Investment.
Fun Foods 4 All, of Courtaulds Way, supplies a range of
children's character pasta products - in the shapes of Bob the
Builder, Scooby Doo, the Simpsons and Thomas the Tank Engine - to
leading UK supermarkets such as Asda, Morrisons and
Tesco.
Company director Nigel Singh recently undertook a Trade
Development Visit to Warsaw with UK Trade & Investment's Food
and Drink Cluster to find out more about opportunities in the
market.
Nigel said: "Coincidentally we had been contacted by a Polish
distributor just before I visited the market and I had a
face-to-face meeting with the company while I was there.
"The timing was perfect and it made a huge difference that we
were able to meet - the deal was concluded within a couple of weeks
and we have already sent out our second order.
"Our products are now being sold in all Intermarché
stores in Poland and we would never have achieved this so quickly
if we hadn't visited the market with the West Midlands Food and
Drink Cluster."
The value of the business over the next year is estimated at
about £150,000.
About 30 per cent of Fun Foods 4 All's annual turnover of
approximately £1.5m is export business and this is expected
to grow rapidly. The company has three employees.
During the visit to Poland, participating firms gained an
overview of the market and the sector from UK Trade &
Investment's commercial team at the British Embassy in Warsaw and
visited a number of local stores and the country's main food and
drink exhibition, IFE Poland.
UK Trade & Investment regional International Trade Adviser -
Food and Drink, Shernel Stevenson, based at Herefordshire and
Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, manages the international trade
element of Advantage West Midlands' Food and Drink Cluster.
She said: "This market visit to Poland was a great success. The
feedback from all the West Midlands companies that participated was
excellent as they all met new contacts and are currently following
up strong enquiries.
"I'm particularly pleased with the success that Fun Foods 4 All
has been able to achieve in such a short time from participating in
this Food and Drink Cluster activity and I encourage other food and
drink companies in the West Midlands to take advantage of the
opportunities available via the Cluster."