Madeira brand is “a selling point”, highlights regional secretary of Economy

The regional Secretary of Economy, Rui Barreto, highlighted the strength of the regional economy inside and outside the region, at ‘Alimentária 2024’, which runs until Thursday, in Spain (Barcelona), and where the Autonomous Region of Madeira is represented with four companies (Chábom, Ilhopan, Sweets & Sugar and Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira), and also has representation from Invest Madeira, Instituto de Desenvolvimento Empresarial (IDE), and Madeira Parques Empresariais (MPE).

The government official highlighted that this “strength” of the regional economy has been “important” to have the presence of regional companies and entrepreneurs in promotional events for the Madeira brand developed by Invest Madeira inside and outside the country.

“It is with great satisfaction that Madeira, once again, with the Regional Government, through Invest Madeira, brought together four companies to be at Alimentaria 2024, which is the largest agri-food fair in Spain and one of the largest in Europe”, said Rui Barreto.

For the regional secretary of Economy, Sea and Fisheries, the presence of a delegation from the Region at this fair taking place in Spanish lands is “proof” that the Autonomous Region is “strong” inside and outside the region, “with pioneering participation , because it is the first time that we bring Madeiran companies to this event, which demonstrates that, in fact, the Economy is growing consistently”.

The government official said that regional companies “maintain confidence and want to grow, but growing abroad is not just in the domestic market. And this is a real opportunity for these companies to expand their business, to go further, to sell and also to form partnerships for the future”.

The executive manager of Invest Madeira, Filipa Ferreira, highlighted that “since 2018, Invest Madeira has played a fundamental role in leveraging regional companies into the national and international market”.

Filipa Ferreira added that over the years, 20 companies in the agri-food sector have already participated in competitions in the sector. “It’s a winning bet. Companies, in addition to having great contacts at these fairs, because people come from all over the world, I am very happy to see that companies have increased exports and this translates into added value for companies”, said the executive manager from Invest Madeira.

“This is a path that the Regional Government has taken and done well, because the Madeira brand is already internationally recognized. Madeira products are niche products, high quality products and we want to continue doing this work, we want to continue opening new markets for our companies, we want companies to grow. But, we also take advantage of participating in these fairs to try to get new companies to also want to invest in Madeira”, said Filipa Ferreira.

For Filipa Ferreira, coming to fairs makes everyone “gain more” and the fact that the Region always has a stand At fairs named after Madeira, it “adds value and people who visit us are already looking” for Madeira products.

“Therefore, I think we should always continue to do this work, always supporting Madeira companies, always with some support for Madeira companies, because they have shown that they are capable of growing and are capable of knowing and facing new markets and open doors for our products with the Madeira brand”, said the executive manager of Invest Madeira.

The export director of Empresas de Cervejas da Madeira, Gustavo Coelho, said that participation in the fair “is fundamental and is in line with what has been the company’s focus” on exports, so the company’s presence in the event “constitutes a opportunity to continue and consolidate the expansion strategy of its brands” throughout the world.

Gustavo Coelho highlighted that these fairs are a “privileged vehicle” for the promotion of regional products, and highlighted the role that Invest Madeira has played, which “has been a fundamental help in developing the strategy, not only the physical presence at fairs, as well as all the involvement and monitoring provided to companies, which have proven to be fruitful”.

For Teresa Carvalho, who is representing Ilhopan, the feedback that has existed at the fair “has been quite positive. Teresa Carvalho highlighted that “being at these types of fairs is always important, because it allows us to consolidate current markets, as well as acquire others. Therefore, every year we always make a point of being present. Last year, we managed to reach the United States market as well as the French market. This year, we hope to reach other markets that may be available.”

The commercial director of Sweets & Sugar, Tiago Rodrigues, said that for a company that is located in the Free Zone and is dedicated to the production of sweets and caramels, “this presence in Barcelona is very important, because it allows us to find new customers in Spain and not only that, because many visitors from different countries come here”.

Tiago Rodrigues said that it would be good if, in Spain, the company had “a greater reach, with greater distribution, both in the traditional market, as well as in hypermarkets and supermarkets, so participating in this fair is an excellent opportunity for us to increase sales, with several meetings scheduled.”

Júlio Pereira, who represented Chábom, said that the company’s participation in the event is of “extreme importance”, because, in this way, they can participate, in partnership with Invest Madeira, creating “synergies with other companies and, at the same time, at the same time, all together, bringing the Madeira brand, because together it has more strength”.

Júlio Pereira considered that the Madeira brand is “a selling point and we have felt this. When people see the Madeira brand, the colors of Madeira, they react well, not only in the national market, but also in the international market. Which is an added value for us.”