TRADEIT is developing a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for small SMEs in the traditional foods sector and it is expected that this will influence topics in publically funded research and innovation initiatives over the coming decade. However, in developing this ‘wish-list’ of topics we urgently need the help of all the SMEs in our network.

GENERIC NEEDS
A significant amount of consultation has already taken place with SMEs at workshops and brokerage events and a number of generic innovation inhibitors have emerged. The main barriers to innovation emerging are:

• Lack of time for adequate innovation
• Difficulties of access to finance for innovation
• The unsuitable size and cost of new processing equipment for delivering product innovations
• Problems in creating adequate distribution networks
• The problem of innovation awareness

There are Less frequent but nevertheless real problems that have emerged are:

• Growth management of the business
• Personal development within the company
• Lack of skilled workers/technical personnel
• Lack of experience in marketing/internationalization
• Lack of capital /access to investment and knowledge of new financing opportunities
• Lack of information about the business and potential new markets
• Difficulties in dealing with regulations
• New business models and e-commerce
• Lack of access to external/advanced knowledge (scientific, technological and business)
• Knowledge of new technologies and new products
• Controlling of raw materials costs
• How to ensure increased shelf life
• How to lower energy requirements/costs
• Knowledge of new packaging developments including active and intelligent packaging
• Food labelling issues arising from new legislation
• Rapid analysis for process control and food safety
• Sustainability related to waste management, reduction of food waste, valorization of residues

SECTORAL NEEDS
When looking at individual Food sectors, some additional topics have emerged:

Dairy specific needs

• Rapid onsite testing
• Access to shared processing facilities
• New Co-operative Models
• Functional Ingredients
• Raw Milk Cheese production issues

Meat specific needs

• Access to processing facilities
• Inventory Management
• Small Scale Process related information
• New product development

Bakery specific needs

• Ingredient Sourcing
• Allergen Management
• Product Diversification
• Fermented Dough
• Gluten Free products

YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED!
While it is clear that the traditional food sector has some very serious barriers to innovation that are list above in a generic form, we are concerned that such a generic listing may mask or minimise the seriousness of the problems. It is urgent that we gather real examples of the problems that the traditional food SMEs are facing.

Please look through the generic lists and if you are experiencing a problem in any of the topics listed, TRADEIT would welcome your input. Please respond by sending a short example of the problem to us. We assure you that all responses will be used to illustrate the problem without mention or identification of your company.

Please email Brian McKenna with your examples. Each response will be acknowledged and will be used to ensure that future innovation and research funding is directed in the right direction.

Between 26^th – 27^th March 2015, all in all 114 food business operators from the food sectors of bakery, dairy and meat production as well as researchers, technology providers and experts from across Europe met in Cologne at Anuga FoodTec for the TRADEIT Conference and Brokerage Event dealing with sustainability.

The conference on 26^th March yielded a complex program, where specialists showcased the future trends for sustainable development in the food production and the latest trends in the development of sustainable technologies.

This was complemented by the possibility that food businesses could come together in bilateral meetings with experts and technology providers to discuss how the presented technologies can help them to build up or maintain sustainable production. Altogether 103 bilateral talks between 99 participants were conducted. This provided the opportunity to develop partnerships with the potential to cause significant changes within these businesses.

Participant feedback has been very good, with some strong new international relationships forming. The opportunity to learn that the same challenges and opportunities face food businesses across Europe was particularly valued. The TRADEIT Project teams are now looking forward to helping those food producers to profit from their new ideas and contacts.

The event ended on 27.03. with three sector-based demonstration tours around the ANUGA FoodTec at the stands of selected technology providers who presented sustainable solutions to our visitors from the bakery, dairy and meat production. Again, international business relations were created.

On the 2^nd and 3^rd of February, APRE – as partner and Italian Hub of the TRADEIT Project  - arranged the first two sessions of a series of an intensive round of training activities foreseen amongst the project’s activities. The two workshops targeted SMEs involved in the production of traditional food. The first course was dedicated to Food safety and quality management for the small-scale traditional food sector, while the second one to Food labelling and marketing for geographical indications and traditional specialties.

The workshops were designed based on the needs of Italian small producers of traditional food, and notably taking into account the barriers faced by the sector in key areas such as food safety and quality; product development; innovation and smart technologies; and food labelling, marketing and packaging.

The module on the Food safety and quality management for the small-scale traditional food sector was held by three researchers from ENEA – UTAGRI UNIT (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development – Unit Agreefood) and specifically Ombretta Presenti, Valentina Tolaini and Antonella Del Fiore; the one on the Food labelling and marketing for geographical indications and traditional specialties was held by Gabriella Lo Feudo a researcher of Agricultural Research Council (CRA).

Around 60 participants from different sector SMEs, Chamber of Commerce and association always linked to traditional food took part to the events. The feedback from the companies was positive, both on the content and support provided and in particular on the networking possibilities opportunities that presented.

Satellite Activities
Besides this two training-days, the Italian Hub organized also two satellite activities. In the first day, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the coordinators of the TRADEIT project and of the Synergia project – respectively Ms Helena McMahon and Mr Nicola Colonna – on the basis a series of common areas of intervention identified.

The SINERGIA project, co-financed by MED programme, is a transnational programme of European territorial cooperation, aiming at fostering technology transfer in the energy sector for agro-food SMEs operating in the Mediterranean area (see SINERGIA brochure).

During the second day of training, the TRADEIT team visited two traditional food producing SMEs members of the Italian TRADEIT sub-network to La Dolce Roma (a bakery) and Riti Formaggio a (cheese factory) in the rural outskirts of Rome.

Paddy Barry, of Barrys Bakery Ireland participated in the TRADEIT Sustainability Brokerage Event which ran as a parallel session at Anuga FoodTec in Cologne.  For Paddy Barry the event was very useful in establishing initiated discussions and meetings with technology providers. “Overall it was a great experience for me, gaining new technical information, business contacts and friends”.

Barry’s Bakery was established in 1925 in Tralee Co Kerry. This family run business delivers bread and confectionaries daily to local and regional communities and supermarkets.  Of particular fame is the classic, long-established Barry’s Sliced Pan. Barry’s strives to honour traditional and wholesome recipes perfected over generations, while simultaneously responding to the changing demands, tastes and health concerns to develop innovative, new products and product varieties. In line this sustainability is a key issue for the Bakery, both from an economic and environmental perspective and a motivation for participating in Sustainability Brokerage Event.

In discussions post event, Paddy informed that the presentations were of “great interest and benefit”. The sector specific demo tours on day 2 of the Brokerage Event as were “the best part, seeing the technologies in action really explained how these systems could be applied in the bakery”.

However Paddy was quite clear on the challenges associated with technology upgrading for artisan bakeries such as Barry’s Bakery, in particular “implementation costs could be prohibitive in some instances”. Furthermore “regulation presents an additional barrier to the integration of new technologies as new systems could potentially add further costs to the business” outside of the capital expenditure.

On the trade fair “AnugaFood Tech was a fantastic opportunity for the participating SMEs providing an opportunity to view cutting edge food processing systems in operation” Whilst majority of systems on show were beyond the scale of operations in Barry’s Bakery an unexpected discovery for Paddy was that exhibitors had technologies portfolios for the smaller scale SME food producers that were not at the show. In fact many of the companies will bespoke develop smaller scale production equipment; however cost is as always an issue.

A huge amount of information was presented, shared and discussed over the 2 days of the Sustainability Event. What was equally beneficial and in fact more readily actionable are the new contacts made and information shared in conversation via the B2Match brokerage meetings and networking opportunities integrated into the 2 day agenda.  TRADEIT will continue to collaborate with Barry’s Bakery.

More than a hundred years of successful operations vouch for the professional skill of Martinez De Somalo a cold cuts and ham company in La Rioja. Founded in 1901 by José Martínez Campo in a small establishment where pork products were sold. Today, it has become a solid industry with modern facilities (2 working plants) and the emblem of La Rioja's chorizo (sausage). Both facilitates are co-located (Baños de Río Tobía, La Rioja) and run under the direction of the same family (currently running on the fourth generation) without losing any of its traditional knowledge.

Today, the Martínez Somalo family, together with experts in the industry, is seeking to add innovation to their products, without renouncing to their artisan trait, but adapting to the tastes of their new consumers. Delivering on this ambition they have launched a new assortment of chorizo barbacoa de sabores (barbecue-flavored sausage) developed in collaboration with the Centro Tecnológico Empresarial Agroalimentario CTIC-CITA. These new technologies have been developed are innovation of the of the traditional agricultural and food industry were created following the TRADEIT philosophy. We have interviewed Elena Martínez, the company's CEO.

Running a family business for more than a hundred years is quite an achievement. Which are the main changes occurred during this period?
The company has had a market- and society-oriented evolution. We have certified our products and processes in order to offer greater quality and provide all the production chain with food security. Within a family context, the main reasons for success are the equilibrium and generosity from the people that have managed the company, and an exemplary family succession from the third generation (my father, Lino Martínez, is truely responsible for what the company is today) to the fourth, his children, including me. All of this has been done by reinforcing the company management with professionals from outside the family.

Although ham curing takes most part of the production, we can speak of one product that Martínez Somalo has helped to closely link to Baños de Río Tobía. I am talking about La Rioja's chorizo. What is so special about this type of cold cut that even enjoys its own geographical indication?
It is a reference product within Spanish gastronomy. The sarta-type chorizo is elaborated as it was in its origins, made of meat and selected ingredients following a careful process. It is the genuine one, and it has not been perverted by price.

Would La Rioja's gastronomy be understood without the chorizo?
It would be difficult, as it is an ingredient that can be found in most of its traditional dishes, such as potatoes, beans, stews, etc. And of course, something that can be eaten at any time. It should be pointed out that it reached England several years ago, but it is only recently that it has taken great meaning. Chorizo, just as it sounds, no translation, is used as an additional ingredient for different fish dishes and salads, new uses that had never been considered up until now. So, we have to encourage every consumer to try it out.

All cold cuts and hams from your company follow a traditional process. Why is it so important to stick to tradition?
In most of our products, we follow the traditional making process, of course with the help of the latest technologies. This might sound inconsistent, but is not. If we use the appropriate raw material and we respect the process by giving it the necessary time and performing it in the appropriate way, we can obtain a traditionally made product, with the same natural and tasty flavor. And this is what the consumer is looking for. Both those who know it and those who taste it for the first time want that ‘traditional’ flavor to be tasty, and we want them to like it. When it comes to our products, tradition means respecting the quality of the raw material and following a careful making-process.

In that respect, we have brought back a successful product, jamón pimentonado (pepper-flavored cured ham), with a process that was used by our great-grandparents more than a hundred years ago.

And, at the same time, you are trying to add new ingredients and formats, as the chorizo barbacoa de sabores. Can you tell us about this new line of product?
Consumers like traditional products, but they also want to be surprised. The barbacoa sabores (barbecue flavors) includes five products. Each of them is a piece of fresh chorizo, ideal for grill, pan, or microwave. This product can become a flavor tasting, something to enjoy, to surprise the consumer. The flavors are fresh chorizo with curry, fine herbs (Mediterranean), tex-mex (Grill Arizona), VERY spicy (Inferno), and with wine (it could not be any otherwise, being from La Rioja). The image we have given the product is eye-catching, and it will not let you unmoved.

How have you worked so as not to pervert the classic concept of chorizo?
Chorizo has a lot of 'power', a lot of flavor. And so do the ingredients used to make it. But, although they can be savored in the product giving it new hints, they do not transform it; they add to it.

Obtaining these kinds of products is only possible thanks to research and new technologies. Could you describe your experience working together with Centro Tecnológico Empresarial Alimentario CTIC-CITA?
The CTIC-CITA has great professionals that are close to the company at every level. They are not only experts in the technical part; they also understand the problems within the industry, the problems with the consumer, the economic dimension of the company and its size when it comes to making a project. This is very important because they integrate into the company as if they were an R&D&I department of their own.

How do you evaluate innovation within an industry that cares so much for popular knowledge such as the traditional food sector?
They can and must live together. Tradition can grow and there must be an evolution, it has always been so. Consumers want a traditional product, but there are some elements that pervert the idea of such product, and those are the ones that can coexist.

Accordingly, those projects of knowledge and technology transferring, such as TRADEIT, can be of much help. What part does Martínez Somalo play on this project?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the CLUSTER FOOD +i for offering this fantastic chance of helping us to be part of this project. No doubt, projects such as Tradeit are very interesting, since they bring together several factors so as to share our knowledge, worries, and ideas, etc. about the industry and the companies. They even contribute to the gathering of people from other sectors. All of it favors the professional growth of the participants, which would not have been possible any other way.

What benefits can be obtained from Project TRADEIT?
Without leaving aside funding matters, which are undoubtedly important, on Tradeit we can find the appropriate discussion forums regarding important aspects about the company which remain forgotten in the day-to-day tasks. There is a chance to become acquainted with new companies from other regions in the country and from other countries, making it possible to share knowledge with them. As these companies belong to other countries, cultures, and different consumption habits, it will be an inspiring and enlightening experience for every participant. And, of course, and should the possibility present itself, we can help each other or even work together.

How does a hundred-year-old company foresee the future? Which are your main challenges and needs?
The Martínez Somalo family is optimistic by nature. We have outlined the path and we are following it, celebrating every time we beat the market’s challenges. We have to always look ahead and to our sides, and keep on learning, or even change our path at a particular moment. Everything is moving very fast, this is a change of era and we have to keep adapting to the new paradigms.

Our challenge is sustainable growth, without forgetting the values we have outlined as a company and as a family, which are collected in the corporate policy. Investments on innovation and technology improvement are two of our main needs, and we are working on that.