Land Foods

Hull-based Land Food Products was seeking new opportunities for its range of garlic breads and spreads. After joining UK Trade & Investment’s Passport to Export programme, the company was identified as an ideal candidate for the Tailored Market Entry Package developed by Yorkshire Forward and Food from Britain (FFB) to assist new food and drink exporters.

FFB had already been commissioned by Yorkshire Forward to identify opportunities for chilled foods in Belgium, France, Denmark and the Netherlands. The opportunities they found had led to the creation of the Market Entry Package, which matched potential exporters with opportunities in these countries.

Land Foods’ range of chilled and frozen garlic breads fitted an opportunity identified in Delhaize, Belgium’s largest retailer. FFB Belgium managed the negotiations with the retailer and provided essential support on labelling and other regulations. Three garlic bread products are now on sale in Delhaize, with further products under discussion.

Paul Lempriere, chief executive of Land Food Products, was delighted that the company had taken its first steps into international business. “We decided to launch internationally because we felt that our products had huge potential and we were missing out on a lot of business by focussing on the UK. Now, with the UK economy looking to an uncertain future, we are delighted to be diversifying into new markets.”

“Without FFB and Yorkshire Forward’s support, we would not have been able to establish a winning strategy in our first international market,” he continued.

Land Foods received further help on exports in response to a query direct via the UK Trade & Investment funded Yorkshire Helpdesk for food and drink producers. The Helpdesk offers food and drink producers in Yorkshire and Humberside the access to Food from Britain’s extensive library of information about international markets.

Land Foods contacted the Helpdesk with a query about pizza takeaway chains in Europe. FFB were able to provide a list of pizza takeaway chains in 10 countries, including information about the number of outlets owned by each chain.