The TRADEIT project is looking for people, projects and enterprises with ideas, technologies and partnership opportunities relevant to food producers and innovators in the Traditional Agri-Food Sector.

One of the key activities of the TRADEIT project is the transfer of technologies and knowledge from innovators and researchers to entrepreneurial Traditional Food Producers.

Developing partnerships with new connections from across Europe is a challenge, with thousands of small and medium sized food producers, universities and research institutes, there are exponential numbers of opportunities.

Finding and matching with the appropriate person, company or research organisation can be a challenge, this is where the TRADEIT Marketplace can help.

The TRADEIT Marketplace an on-line business community and technology portal for Traditional Agri-Food stakeholders to facilitate on-line networking, business development, technology acquisition and brokerage activities.

So whether you are entrepreneur, researcher or innovator in search of partners or solutions to business issues the Marketplace has something to offer.

Using it is simple, once registered simply develop a public profile*, explore the system, upload technology and business related offers and support requests.

Users search the system and when an interesting opportunity or technology is identified a request for further information is submitted. Regional TRADEIT Advisors will follow up to facilitate partnership development and to enable users to capitalise on opportunities. (TRADEIT Advisors are also available to provide support on profile development and offer/ request postings).

We are working hard to create a series of Brokerage Events, showcasing technologies in 6 key areas (dairy, meat, bakery, sustainability, packaging and food safety) with parallel session in which you will be to set up introductory meetings with enterprises, technology and research providers who can help your business. 

Knowledge Transfer Events are also on offer at each of the TRADEIT Hubs which will provide targeted training in key areas such as food safety, supply chain management, labelling and business model development. The information held in the marketplace will also be used to help us make sure that these are appropriate and relevant. 

We’re keen to meet you and find out what you need so that we can help you to grow so, if you haven’t already done it, click here to register.

* in particular those relating to the Dairy Meat & Bakery Sectors.
**Apart from what you choose to put in a public summary, the information provided remains confidential.

In preparation for an intensive round of training activities in the autumn and during 2015, Dr Catherine Halbert visited Poland in June to meet the Polish Hub Advisor Dr. Andrzej Fetliński, Hub trainers and Hub members.

SMEs and representatives from the National Association of Food Industry Engineers, Agriculture Advisory Centre for the Podlasie region and the Polish Organisation of Commerce and Distribution attended the meeting. An overview of the Polish food industry was provided, with interesting statistics; 70% of the market is controlled by chains (retail multiples) with 350,000 stores and 500,000 food companies. There is a respect for traditional foods nationally and the traditional sector is competitive, with increased exports and strategies for competing at retail level.

Discussions addressed SME training needs and the support opportunities within TRADEIT. There was a clear motivation to engage, both for the training and to connect with other regional traditional food producers. It is the first time the companies have had an opportunity to engage with an EU-funded project targeted directly at their sector, and they welcomed the opportunity.

A number of aspects of traditional food production were discussed, including the challenges associated with enforcement of EU or national regulations, the demands of running a small family business, networks as enablers of change and progress upgrading; regional supply chains and logistics for market expansion. The younger generations of these family based traditional food enterprises, with more diverse language and business skills were identified as the key to the sustainability and growth of the companies.

The TRADEIT project will run training events covering 9 topics key to the competitiveness of traditional food producers. 

The Polish Hub will deliver Modules 1, 2. 4 & 7, the training will be applied and focused upon the provision of key tools and practical recommendations to the food producers. The events will blend training content with key insights, for example veterinary inspectors will explain the regulatory requirements and inspection of a traditional cheese plant, representative from a retail multiples will explain the food safety and quality requirements for listing or issuing contracts, supply chain management optimisation when dealing with the retail multiples will also be addressed (register here).

Each of the other 8 TRADEIT Hubs will also deliver a selection of training events, starting from September 2014, all are detailed here on the TRADEIT website.

“Customers compare prices, but are willing to pay more for really unique products!”

The bakery  ‘Bäckerwirtschaft“ was established at Poststraße 1 in Bönnigheim in 1955, by the parents of Reiner Stolzenberger, Erich and Louise Stolzenberger. At time freshly baked pretzels were offered in Swabian taverns, winegrowers would enjoy them after work with a “Viertele” wine, a quarter litre wine. There was a long tradition of what is now experiencing a revival, the wine taverns, farm yard celebrations,  inns with their own ovens, grain growers baking their own bread and cakes. In the past it used to serve the local market, nowadays, the uniqueness and quality of the product are what matters.

KS: Bakery Stolzenberger cherishes the craftsmanship and traditions of the bakery trade, how is this visible in the bakery and for the customer?
RS: “We offer a great variety of traditional bakery products. Bread such as the Swabian farmer’s bread (“Schwäbisches Bauernbrot”), the lumberman bread (“Holzfällerbrot”) and the winemaker’s bread (“Winzerbrot”) are made with the recipes and traditions of my ancestors. That involves the use of our own natural sourdough with long resting times. We attach great importance to natural dough making! We abstain from baking mixes, instead, our dough ripens overnight. Through this method bacteria, enzymes and natural yeast in the grain are activated. This fermentation allows natural flavour development without the need for yeast or other additions.  This in turn stimulates the tolerance of our products and the bread stays fresh even longer. Therefore, our customers can really taste the difference compared with an industrially made bread.

Kaiser rolls and other small baked goods are also produced by the extended fermentation method. For these products we are also using only minimal addition of yeast. Swabian specialities as the “Laugenbrezel”, a soft pretzel, and other lye articles are very popular and can be eaten as a snack throughout the day. Yeast plaits (“Hefezöpfe”) and other yeast pastries crumbles, a speciality of ours, are a must-have at any occasion.

KS: Is it possible to have “regionalism” despite growing competition?
RS: “First and foremost, it is dependent upon the co-operation and contribtion of all participants in the value chain that leads to a product that my customers like to buy and enjoy daily.  I source raw material from the region to produce my regional specialities, for example the flour we use comes solely from the Jesser mill, a family-run business that is over a hundred years old. This mill guarantees high quality flour using a local grain cultivated on long-term contracts.”

KS: How do you react to the new challenges of the market and changing consumer demands?
RS: “Nowadays, anyone can offer baked goods and there is a tendency of food retailers, discount supermarket chains and petrol stations to sell fresh baked goods. Therefore it is imperative to specialize and to strike a new path. There are multiple possibilities and opportunities. In the breakfast sector there are many options for new developments, event catering with finger food,  coffee and cake as well as snacks enjoy more and more popularity.

Through weddings, family parties and company events it is possible to conquer new markets and develop new products in cooperation with other crafts of the food sector (butchers, cheese dairies, winegrowers, etc.) and event planners.

During the grape harvest and for special summer events we bake potato- and onion tarts that are served warm. We also deliver special breads to so-called “Besenwirtschaften”, restaurants in the vineyards – breads that are often based on a long tradition. Customers do compare prices, but they are willing to pay more for really unique products!

I would also like to meet my customers’ requests of gluten-free baked goods for example, but that is unfortunately not possible at the moment. There are strict safety requirements with regards to the production process (strict separation of other production processes) and big investments to facilitate a new place of production.

However, we as bakers need to pay close attention to the changes in consumption habits and keep developing new products.”
KS: You are very dedicated to the TRADEIT project. Why? You surely have better things to do than travelling to project meetings all throughout Europe?
RS: “You are right, it is not easy, especially because of the different viewpoints of the individual partners of the project. But: It is important to protect sustainability and to produce traditional regional goods that represent identification with the land and its people. The term “Heimat” (home/home land) is very popular. Through the TRADEIT project it is possible to attract attention to small and medium-size enterprises that cultivate traditions and regionalism. With the help of TRADEIT people can easily exchange opinions if there are problems, but it also helps in avoiding legal obstacles during marketing and in generating own labels.

Networks are developed among trades that are – at first sight – very different: meat and sausage and cold meat production, cheese production and the bakery trade. Through these networks it is possible to develop and improve new and existing products and production processes, as well as the marketing of the products.

It is essential that we as small and medium-size enterprises become noticeable and gain significance in our society, there is clear movement away from 'anonymous" shopping in supermarkets and this presents a significant opportunity.

Click here for a video on Bakery Reiner Stolzenberger 

‘Sery Korycinski’ is a high quality traditional Polish Cheesemaker.  They make Korycin cheese using a three hundred year old process. It’s an entirely hand made cheese, using fresh, raw milk and naturally occurring microflora for the fermentation. With the addition of peppers and herbs it is available in up to 21 differently flavoured versions.

Although the cheese is typically sold fresh, it has a long shelf life at ambient temperatures and develops complex, attractive flavours. It is only produced in the Podlaskie Region of Poland, where there is a strong local market, and has been registered for PGI certification.

Sery Korycinski are currently increasing capacity and are looking for access to wider distribution networks. For further information visit the TRADEIT Marketplace and search for Podlaskie Cheese.

Are you a small food producer in the Dairy, Meat or Bakery sector who would like a hands on, practical and relevant introduction to social media that specifically relates to your business?

If so, we are providing training of relevance to you. A hands on session, which will take place at the IT Tralee on Tuesday August 12^th from 9am till 1pm will walk you through setting up social media accounts and provide you with the information you need to develop an effective profile, manage your time on social media effectively and increase your sales.

This session is aimed at food producers who have little or no experience with social media.

The session which will run from 9am to 1pm will include:

• A hands on introduction to setting up social media accounts
• Examples of key social media campaigns in the world of food production
• How to develop an amazing profile
• How to make the most of your time on social media
• Using a social media marketing strategy template to get the most from the next six month