Explore the universe of Europe’s Food and Drink SMEs
"Small Size, Big Impact" is an initiative of FoodDrinkEurope, the organisation of Europe’s food and drink industry. 9 in 10 of Europe’s food & drink companies are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Small size, Big Impact initiative is possible with the support of several SMEs who shared their stories.
40% of our sales are within the EU. Being a member of the EU has made it easier to expand our business in what is the largest trading block in the world.
More information: Walsh Whiskey Distillery at Royal Oak...
Innovation is very important in order to differentiate one’s product in a very crowded market place (Irish whiskey is considered a premium product). As a smaller producer we have great flexibility and can innovate at every stage of the process ‐ ...
Since 2007, in keeping with our philosophy of providing total transparency and maximum information, Terra Creta has offered customers the ability to trace the route of every one of our products, from the olive grove to the point of sale, through the ...
Back in 1980, when there were more than 700 soda drink companies in Greece, the big multinational companies entered the market. From the 700 companies only 50 were left and now we're around 25. In such an aggressive environment, the consumer was able...
We sell ayran in Turkie, the US and all EU countries except Romania, Bulgaria and Balkan countries. Since we started producing ice cream four years ago, we are now selling in the Baltic states and Poland, USA and Germany. Currently, we are very inter...
We are a very small company in a very big EU market, which means we need enough funds to invest and grow. Innovation is everything! If you have a good product, then you can sell it.
More information: Ayran...
For any company to be successful, you need to have a strong foothold domestically. Exporting food products is very difficult. We were in no position to go to other markets until we’d grown our share in the one right here. When we started off we wer...
The German market was especially difficult to enter into, and it took 9 months to finalise contracts. However at a trade fair, we made contact with one very important client, and from that personal connection, our entry into that market took off. Ent...
The EU has significantly encouraged our business by offering funding opportunities to support the development of our company, through the Horizon 2020 programme. The programme offers help to companies like ours with the possibility of support for a s...
ACESUR is innovative by tradition. Since its birth in the 19th century, the company continued to innovate at all levels, especially as regards the products that are put on the market, the production processes, management strategies and packaging and ...
Nairns was founded over 100 years ago in 1896 by John and Mary Nairn in a small bakery in Lanarkshire, making traditional oatcakes. Nairns differentiates itself by its commitment to its ingredients, using predominantly oats instead of wheat, which is...
The two founders studied agribusiness together in Lyon. At the end of the programme, our project won the first ECOTROPHELIA prize for France and Europe. Once we graduated, we got some assistance from a ‘business incubator’ to help us develop some...
I think for most SMEs on a day-to-day basis you may not think Europe plays much of a role in your business, but it does! Whether that’s because you’re part of a trading block that has partners or because it means you have some security in your su...
With the financial crisis hitting hard in Portugal, Licor Beirão is focusing on new markets outside the country. Exports represent about 25% of the annual turnover (15% EU; 10% rest of the world) to more than 40 countries around the world (France, S...
Selling our products in EU Member States is a process that has been simplified by the EU. Without the single market it would have been too complicated. So in this sense the EU helped to facilitate access to new markets for us.
More information:...
Exports account for a small number of our turnover, it’s currently around 5-7%, coming mostly from within the EU. We are making efforts to increase this figure by taking part, for instance, in international food and drink fairs. But it is difficult...
The European Union is a big facilitator and opportunity in terms of free trade and business within the Member States due to a single currency and the abolition of customs barriers. For us this is a big advantage and added value. We sell our products ...
Funding is the most difficult challenge. For example whisky or aged Genever, after distillation from malted barley (which is rather expensive), goes for minimum 3 years in an oak barrel, which is also very expensive. Therefore, the capital you need t...
What I really hope for is consistent and stable regulation and legislation so that we can continue working as we do currently. We are between both, food and wine regulations, since we are producing on the basis of natural raw material and fruits, and...
We were never able to get help from the European Union because we do not even know what the EU has to offer to us. The EU needs to invest in building channels of communication with the SMEs. We do not know the way to reach out to them that's why we n...
What needs to happen for sure is a truly unified framework of operations for all SMEs in Europe, that’s what we want. Same taxation, same controls, that would help us a lot.
More information : ARVANITI...
Modern distribution networks are also a challenge. Large retailers have a huge negotiation power which make the barriers to entry for new products (from smaller producers) extremely high.
More information: Licor Beirão...
The EU should develop stable regulatory frameworks providing the legal security needed to further develop a European market for high-quality products, such as olive oil.
More information: Acesur...
We attended two visits, one in Vietnam and one in South Korea. Thanks to the Vietnam visit we were able to start working with importers from there and export our products to that market. Unfortunately we did not have similar results when we visited S...
The first big challenge for our company was to evolve in the confusing system of European regulation. This is because we were launching an innovative activity without clear European rules regulating the market. We therefore faced difficulties on diff...
For our company, export is a key area for growth. Currently we export to 45 different countries and we make double digit growth every year.
More information: Joseph Cartron...
Together with my wife we bought an old farm and started a small distillery 3 years ago. After 2 years of hard work and R&D we launched only in April last year our first gins. After 5 months on the market we realised the distillery will be soon to...
Cartron is a family company that was founded back in 1882. It’s always been managed by a member of the Cartron family and I am the fifth generation to run the company. We have always been based in Nuits-Saint-George in Bourgogne. (..) our first com...
Our company has a very close relationship with the olive producers. We work with 1000 producers and a technical and scientific team with the objective to gain added value from the exports and give back to the local community. The PDO element helps us...
Nairns is one of the region’s main employers and the company consists of approximately 240 employees. Nairns now celebrates its 20 year anniversary as an independent business, managed by a group of directors.
More information : Nairn’s ...
We have two companies working together: Lightfood OU produces ayran, whilst Pure Line Product OU produces ice cream. There are 11 people working in the first company, and 35 in the second. In our region we are one of the main employers.
More inf...
Our start-up has three full time employees, one trainee and one student-apprentice.
More information: Ici & Là...
Think that there are limited options for a single-product company? By sticking to the motto “dare to share”, this start-up showed that there is “mush-room” for growth and innovation in today’s market.
In the eighties we began to set up ...
Today, we have 12 employees and we are launching quite an intensive recruitment phase. We plan to hire four to five new employees by the end of the quarter. None of the founders had any previous competence in the food sector nor did we know about foo...
We have around 100 employees. And as we are located in a very rural region, I would say we are the biggest employer in this area and in the village. Individuals are the power behind everything, with their engagement and the strong will for further de...
Tradition, combined with creativity, innovation and an open mind have been the winning ingredients behind the young start up that is now the city of Antwerp’s biggest independent brewery. Although only four years old, Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie now ...
Innovation plays an important role in our business. Firstly, there is technological innovation, as we are breeders and our company is the first one in the world in the edible insect industry to have the ISO certified quality system. The second differ...
Estonian start-up AS Balsnack was formed just one year ago with a new line of snack foods. Brimming with energy, it’s almost as if this company can’t get its new products out fast enough.
Their first offering was a range of potato chips and i...
The quality of our products and the expertise of the production make up our profile. Consumption of our products have been declining over the last few years. This meant we had to reinvent ourselves and use our knowledge and expertise to produce high ...
Craving a taste of ancient times? Then look no further than Papadimittiou, who has built a successful Greek company specialized in using the Corinthian currant in its products, giving a unique taste that is drenched in history.
Founded in 1939, P...
The family that eats together stays together, but when it comes to Zanetti, it’s more a case of the family that churns together builds an internationally successful company together! Specialising in traditional Italian cheese production for over a ...