The German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce has launched a three-year promotion project concerning exports of Finnish foodstuffs to Germany. One of the two export rings to be set up is focused on the export of conventional foods and the other on organic products. The aim is to involve four to six enterprises interested in exports to Germany in both rings.

At present the import volumes of German foods to Finland are many times higher than Finnish exports to Germany. Of the Finnish exports more than half is raw material, i.e. oats and wheat. According to a survey by the Chamber of Commerce, Finnish food companies have not taken advantage of the vast opportunities that the German food market may offer.

The turnover of German food industry totalled more than 155 million euros in 2008. Germany is the largest organic product market in Europe, with a turnover of 5.8 billion euros. This market is expected to grow by 10 to 15 per cent a year.

In Germany the markets are not as concentrated as the markets in Finland, even if in recent years larger shares have been taken over by the chains. The share of private labels has also been growing rapidly and the number of organic supermarkets has increased.

In the past few years the consumer trends in Germany have been characterised by ease, enjoyment and healthiness. The Germans appreciate high quality even more than before. The special advantages of Finland on the German market include good image, pure nature, high-standard food research and high product quality. In the perception of the Germans, Finland and organic food are readily combined.

Further information:
Mikael Helle, German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce, tel. +358 (0)50 577 1159