A delegation of Guatemalan businessmen participated on the international fair “The Salon International de l’Agroalimentaire” (SIAL), which took place in Paris, France, from October 21-25th, 2018. This participation was able due to the support given by the European Union’s AL-Invest 5.0 program. The products that Guatemala displayed in this fair included dog biscuits, sugar products, canned fruits and vegetables, frozen fruit pulp, spices, among other products suitable for the European lifestyle.
Additionally, Guatemala also presented cardamom, black pepper, achiote, dehydrated lime, honey, beans, marshmallows, gummies, chocolate, bread and pastries at this fair. The Salon International de l’Agroalimentaire takes places every two years and it is one of the most prestigious world fairs for the food and beverages industry.
AGEXPORT’s Market Development department organized a delegation of five Guatemalan companies to participate for the first time on this SIAL fair in Paris. We were part of a Latin American pavilion organized with help from the European Union’s Al-Invest 5.0 program. Our companies offered trendy products suitable for the European market, said Mrs. Ingrid Gaitan, AGEXPORT’s chief of Market Development.
The Latin American Pavilion supported by Al-Invest 5.0 hosted companies from Guatemala as well as Peru, Bolivia and Costa Rica. The European market is one of the key destinations for Guatemalan exports. From January to August 2018, the country has exported more than US$727.4 million with a growth rate of 2.9% compared to 2017.
This fair was identified as the ideal opportunity to promote our food processing products. World leaders of this industry displayed at this fair food products of the future and, as such, Guatemalan exporters can learn of new trends in the industry as well as promote their products with buyers from France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, China, Spain, Germany, Turkey and the United States. We expect negotiations of as much as 800,000 Euros to be closed in the short and medium run because of this fair, said Mrs. Gaitan.
The Guatemalan delegation was integrated by the following firms: Guatemalan Candies S.A, Mesoamerica Foods Corp., Excard / Spicex, Acaexmiel and PaniFresh. As part of the mission trip, companies visited different supermarkets in Paris to identify the products that are suitable for the European lifestyle, which nowadays focusses on “on-the-go” products, sustainable products and special lactose-free and gluten-free products.
