A government-backed Swiss organization that facilitates trade will be holding its first ever buyer mission to Colombia this year, with a comprehensive and diverse program in the works. 

Switzerland Global Enterprise will be holding the visit from August 18-22 as part of its Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) for fruits and vegetables, which uses relationships with partner countries around the world to connect producers with European buyers.

The fruit and vegetable program's five partner countries are Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, Macedonia, Peru and South Africa.

SIPPO has already carried out highly successful visits to Peru over the last couple of years, and although this is the first time such a trip has been planned to Colombia, the organization's staff have been meeting with Colombian industry representatives at key trade fairs for some time, such as Fruit Logistica in Berlin last month.

The mission will likely involve around 10 buyers and will include farm visits, meetings with producers, a visit to the Agrofuturo Medellín trade fair, and a chance to get to know the cultural and logistical sides of the Colombian industry.

SIPPO's project manager for fruit and vegetables, Jonas Spahn, told www.freshfuritportal.com Colombia had an impressive range of fresh agricultural products to offer, from the well-known fruits like avocados and table grapes to more exotic goods like passion fruit, granadilla and golden berries.

"You see all different kinds of products, and there are a lot of opportunities to grow crops," Spahn said.

Switzerland Global Enterprise uses its good relationship with the trade promotion agency ProColombia to organize the business trip, helping purchasers get to know the country and the industry in a way that would be far more difficult if they were to do it alone.

"We are going to start in Bogotá and have an introductory look at a few logistical installations - such as an airfreight facility, perhaps - and then we often have a reception at the Swiss Embassy. After that it's going to be B2B [business-to-business] sessions from companies around Bogotá," Spahn said.

"Following that we are planning a visit to an up-and-coming trade fair in Medellín and we're going to visit companies' farms so they can see the production itself, see a packhouse, talk to the people who work there, and get a feeling for the logistical aspects. We plan to visit two to three regions in the five days.

"We have a good network in Colombia, so we can really give them a good first impression of this country, whereas if they were by themselves they would need time to adjust. It's a great opportunity to show these buyers what they can expect from this country and its producers."

Spahn highlighted how the specific companies and products to be featured on the visit would be largely defined by requests from the buyers, who tell the organization beforehand what they're interested in.

He added SIPPO normally only recommended companies that it knew from earlier activities or ones highlighted by ProColombia, which has an extensive network of regional offices.

"There are two or three companies in the pipeline for fresh herbs - oregano, chives, etcetera - and we have we have a good selection of exotics - from the golden berry to the passion fruit - and all the specialities from Colombia up to avocados and grapes," Spahn said.

"It's still a  group visit, but it's basically tailor-made. We try and get maximum benefit from the B2B meetings and the company visits."

Switzerland Global Enterprise is able to offer a competitive price of around €1,800 as ProColombia sponsors the flights from Europe. The package includes transport within Colombia, all the meetings, and two network dinners and lunches.

There still a few places remaining on the trip in August, and so Spahn encouraged anyone who was interested to get in contact.

The week following the visit to Colombia, SIPPO is also planning a buyer mission to Peru, which has a broader focus of the fresh and processed fruit and vegetable industry, as well as the fish sector.

Click here for more information on the Colombian buyer visit or to contact Jonas Spahn at Switzerland Global Enterprise.

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