Saudi Arabia business delegation visiting Estonian food cos

TALLINN - This week, a Saudi Arabian business delegation is visiting Estonia with the aim of familiarizing themselves with Estonian food and beverage sector companies, as well as the opportunities available here.

The delegation, consisting of representatives from Panda Retail Company, BinDawood Group (Danube), Edafat International Trading Co., Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Company, and Awal Qutouf Trading (AQT), is particularly interested in Estonia's innovative food solutions and high-quality products.

"Saudi Arabia, with its large market size and extremely rapid development, is one of the most important new target markets for Estonian food exports, especially in terms of food purity and sustainability. We see a significant competitive advantage for Estonian companies in this market. Through previous business visits, we have observed the interest of the local trade sector in our products, and both Haage Joogid and Balsnack have started sales there. We hope that this visit will provide Saudi Arabian retail and food companies with much new information and confidence that food produced in Estonia is clean, sustainable, and of world-class quality," said Katre Kõvask, CEO of YOOK Production and head of the Estonian Food Industry Association's working group on export.

"I am very pleased that Estonia is standing out globally for its innovative food production solutions and that Saudi Arabian representatives have found their way here to meet with our companies. Our interest is to find additional markets for our products to boost the competitiveness of Estonian food producers. We have innovative entrepreneurs and exciting, high-quality products. Additionally, we have several innovative solutions in food production that we can offer to Saudi Arabian partners," Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Piret Hartman said.

During the visit, the delegation will learn about the development of Estonia's food and beverage sector, meet with sector representatives, and visit several Estonian food industry companies.

On Monday, the program will begin with a seminar attended by representatives of the Business and Innovation Agency, the Estonia-Saudi Arabia Business Council, the Agriculture and Food Board, and the Food Industry Association. The seminar will provide an overview of the Estonian food and beverage sector. Afterward, the delegation is scheduled to meet with Minister of Agriculture Piret Hartman and visit the snack manufacturer Balsnack International Holding AS.

The next days of the visit will take the delegation to Tartu, Võru, and Tõrva, where they will visit companies such as oat drink manufacturer YOOK Production AS, water producer Haage Joogid OÜ, food producer AS Salvest, Valio Eesti AS Võru Juustutööstus, and the mushroom farm Shroomwell.

The final day of the visit, Wednesday, will be dedicated to one-on-one meetings, where Estonian food companies will have the opportunity to present their products and meet with potential business partners.

This visit is a continuation of the food and beverage sector business mission to Saudi Arabia held in September, which resulted in several new contracts for snack manufacturer Balsnack with local buyers.

Next, meetings will take place at the Gulfood food fair in Dubai from Feb. 17 to 21, where Estonian companies will have the opportunity to present their products.

The business visit is organized by the Business and Innovation Agency in cooperation with the Estonian Food Industry Association.