HEART of ENGLAND fine foods (HEFF) has joined forces with UK Trade & Investment team in Warsaw and business leaders in Poland to develop the export scheme, which aims to boost the profile and sale of produce from the heart of England to Eastern Europe.
The project is being backed by the creation of a new e-commerce B2B website featuring top quality products from 41 companies across the Midlands, allowing Polish food and drink buyers to buy direct via HEFF’s International Trading Desk.
HEFF Chief Executive Karen Davies, and HEFF’s Supply Chain Manager Jon May, recently returned from Warsaw where the final touches were put to the project which will be promoted as part of the Food is GREAT campaign.
Mrs Davies said: “This is a fantastic opportunity not only for our producers, but for the UK food export market. The project is being launched through the Government’s GREAT campaign, and we have been working with UKTI teams as well as the British Polish Chamber of Commerce for many months to develop an idea into a commercial reality.
“So far we have 41 companies which will have their products featured on the B2B website for Polish buyers. These include Hobson’s Brewery, Shropshire Cheese Company, Kitchens Fine Food, Shropshire Granola and poultry specialist, Adlingtons.
“Buyers will be able to order products from the heart of England at one central location and the order will be fulfilled by HEFF’s International Trading Desk using dedicated logistics partners to ensure quality is maintained throughout the process,” added Mrs Davies.
The campaign was launched in Poland last week when Minister of State for Trade and Investment Lord Livingston attended a ‘Say Cheese’ event at the British Polish Business Centre in Warsaw.
Martin Oxley, Director of UKTI at the British Embassy in Warsaw, said: “It was a great pleasure to serve a HEART of ENGLAND fine foods’ Cheese Taster menu at the launch, including Hereford Hop, Shropshire Blue and Double Worcester during the visit of Lord Livingston.
“I’m really passionate about GREAT British food and drink, but so far it has not made it out here to Poland. I’m on a drive to change that. We need to make it much easier for delis to buy high quality British food and drink in Poland and our new B2B ‘Food is GREAT’ HEFF International Trading Desk is an innovative and transformational way of selling HEFF’s members’ products out here.
“Lord Livingston’s lunch was shipped over the weekend and was served on Monday in the Business Centre – he loved it as did His Excellency Robin Barnett, British Ambassador to Poland and Antoni Reczek, the Chairman of the British Polish Chamber of Commerce.”
This week, a delegation of Polish food buyers and journalists will attend an afternoon tea demonstration and evening gourmet event at HEFF’s new home in London Road in Shrewsbury as well as touring the region to visit HEFF producers.
A special gala dinner will also be held at the House of Commons in May, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of Poland’s accession to the EU, to formally the launch the new B2B platform. The menu will be created by HEFF’s Group Executive Chef Mark Riding, featuring produce from HEFF members.
Shropshire Live is regulated by