Improving export development and promotion services to BioTrade companies

2019-06-03T11:28:41+00:00April 9th, 2019|Tags: , , , , , , |

In close cooperation with Miguel Camacho, ProFound provided a workshop on behalf of Helvetas. Together with Miguel we helped to reinforce capacities of business support organisations (BSOs) to deliver demand-driven, value-added services that promote exports of BioTrade natural ingredients. The workshop provided international best-case examples of services to companies. For example trade fair organisation, certification training, export market planning and buyer missions. In addition, the workshop linked BSOs to trade promotion organisations in their countries. This link helps BSOs to discuss how to implement these services in practice. During the workshop the BSOs designed their service portfolio and did initial [Read more]

Marketing and Innovation 2.0: Export Marketing training at Natural Products Expo West

2019-05-24T16:18:27+00:00March 21st, 2019|Tags: , , , , , , |

Many Myanmar companies want to enter the American market. They feel their innovative and speciality products will have the best chances in this highly dynamic market. That the American market is indeed dynamic we saw during a study visit to the Natural Products Expo West trade fair in Anaheim, California. Here we joined the Helvetas Myanmar team, 6 companies and 2 business support organisations. At the same time, the show also showed how fierce the competition is. Products and marketing concepts need to be very strong to stand out in this market. ProFound consultants Jolanda van Hal and Robbie Hogervorst [Read more]

South East Asian producers getting ready for BioTrade exports

2019-02-07T14:16:57+00:00December 21st, 2018|Tags: , , , , , , , |

ProFound experts Robbie Hogervorst and Aafke van Sprundel conducted a series of market entry strategy trainings in Kuala Lumpur, Yangon and Mandalay for the Helvetas Regional BioTrade Project South East Asia. More than 20 Vietnamese, Lao and Myanmar companies were trained and supported to develop their first market entry strategy. A second objective was to build capacities of business associations to start developing market entry services to their members.    During the workshop, the participants were guided to define how they wanted to position themselves on the market. Do they want to be a high end, a sustainable, ethical, unique [Read more]

2 ethical organic buyers, 8 suppliers, 3 countries: Buyer mission shows Biotrade potential in South East Asia

2019-04-12T12:59:42+00:00October 23rd, 2018|Tags: , , , , , |

ProFound senior consultant Robbie Hogervorst joined the Helvetas buyer mission to South East Asia to identify business opportunities for Biotrade products and actions needed to make business happen. Organic buyers Traditional Medicinals (USA) and Organic Herb Trading Company (UK) met with companies from Vietnam and Laos. Organic Herb Trading company also visited suppliers in Myanmar. BioTrade products in Southeast Asia  The main focus of the mission was on suppliers producing indigenous spices and organically produced local varieties of commodity spices, such as turmeric and ginger. The buyers also explored options for medicinal and aromatic plants and local herbal medicine traditions. In general, there [Read more]

Trading prospects for Biotrade suppliers after match-making with international buyers

2019-04-16T10:48:42+00:00December 20th, 2017|Tags: , , , , , |

Susan Curtis was one of three buyers on the buyer’s mission for the SECO-funded Regional BioTrade Project Southeast Asia with Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation facilitated by ProFound. As Director of Natural Health at Neal’s Yard Remedies, Susan visited Myanmar and Vietnam and explored the possibilities to cooperate with suppliers of BioTrade ingredients. The mission inspired her to consider some of these ingredients for the products of Neal’s Yard Remedies, including both high quality spice essential oils and a cosmetic ingredient that would be new to Europe and has the potential to lead to some exciting and innovative new product development. “I was [Read more]

Successful agricultural clusters in Eastern Indonesia for the World Bank

2019-04-17T09:49:15+00:00November 24th, 2017|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

ProFound developed strategies for innovative clusters of economic activity with key Eastern Indonesian agricultural products. In this project for the World Bank we worked together with our Indonesian partner Setara Foundation and several experts from Gadjah Mada University. The team identified three main agricultural product clusters and cluster locations: Chili, onions and garlic on East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Fish on Maluku and Papua Coconut on North Sulawesi During field work in Indonesia, local and international experts identified value-adding and logistical strategies. Through product-market matching opportunities, the teams determined: Successful organisation and coordination between stakeholders How to [Read more]

The business case for BioTrade markets

2018-06-26T12:34:59+00:00October 31st, 2017|Tags: , , , , , |

ProFound’s consultants  Bert-Jan Ottens and Sacha Handgraaf supported a Helvetas training on sustainable certification schemes in the context of the Regional BioTrade Project Southeast Asia with Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation. The Helvetas country teams came together in Bangkok to discuss certification trajectories for the tea, spices and thanaka value chains. This will help the teams to design strong business cases for BioTrade with business support and private sector actors in Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. During the two day-training the teams learned more about: Food safety and sustainability certifications relevant for the international market How to make the link between the BioTrade principles [Read more]

Market Orientation @Vitafoods Asia in Singapore on BioTrade marketing

2017-09-21T08:00:18+00:00September 21st, 2017|Tags: , , , , , |

Within the scope of our work on the Regional BioTrade Project Southeast Asia with Helvetas, our senior consultant Robbie Hogervorst supported a Helvetas training mission in Singapore. During the training, selected companies gained insight into their potential to export BioTrade products; learning about buyer and market requirements, BioTrade market trends, and possible trade channels. The companies also learned how to translate their new insights into their marketing plan: How to develop a suitable product, how to promote it, how to price it? This is part of our activities in Business Planning (see our solutions page for more information). During the [Read more]

Finalising the inception phase of the Regional BioTrade Project

2017-08-16T10:31:31+00:00May 3rd, 2017|Tags: , , , , |

Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and ProFound collaborated closely on an Export Potential Assessment (EPA) in the Regional BioTrade project in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar). Since September 2016, ProFound consultants and Helvetas national teams have identified bottlenecks and possible interventions through desk research, fieldwork and verification missions. ProFound worked together with the Helvetas teams in researching the possibilities for BioTrade. Their help with the desk research, field work and reporting has been very useful in the completion of the inception phase of the project. - Tuan, Le Anh, Deputy Project Manager, Regional BioTrade Project Southeast Asia, Helvetas Vietnam The combination [Read more]

ProFound´s first verification mission to Vietnam for BioTrade project

2017-08-16T10:31:50+00:00January 23rd, 2017|Tags: , , , , |

ProFound consultant Robbie Hogervorst visited Vietnam as part of the Export Potential Assessment for the Regional BioTrade project in Southeast Asia with Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation. At the end of last year, we identified promising BioTrade products from Vietnam, Lao PDR and Myanmar, by assessing their export potential. BioTrade is defined as the trade of products that are native to a country and maintain or enrich its biodiversity. In Vietnam, Robbie and the local Helvetas team verified the outcomes of this research. The team talked to companies and other stakeholders, such as government institutions, through individual interviews and a roundtable. "During [Read more]

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