Meet the FFB associate in The Czech Republic

With our associate, Dora Pogascas, we assist UK food and drink companies looking to enter and develop their business in Central and Eastern Europe markets, including Hungary and the Czech Republic.

This deep rooted collaboration allows FFB to keep track on what is happening in these rapidly changing markets.

Q:  What is your background in the Food and Drink industry? 

 Since 1997, I have been running my own consultancy company focusing on the retail markets as well as the food and drink markets in more than 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

Q:  What advantages do you see from working with Food from Britain?

Food from Britain provides  me with an excellent opportunity to discover the markets of my own region from the viewpoint of UK producers of high quality British food ,which has given me great inspiration during my work over the past 10 years.

Q:  What is your own personal favourite when it comes to British food and drink?

As a sweet-toothed consultant, I am very fond of Cadbury's confectionery, my other favourites are the excellent British teas and cheeses.

Q:  How do you see the Central European markets developing?

• Following the difficult period of economic transition, most countries in the CEE region have been on a stable growth path with GDP growth rates above the EU average and rising private consumption levels which plays in favour of increased demand for quality food.
• Eating habits are quickly changing, offering good opportunities for UK food and drink exporters to find a niche in the market.
•  In countries which joined the EU earlier (mainly Central Europe and the Baltic states) demand is more sophisticated and the retail market is much more developed, at the same time, however, the trade environment is also far more competitive than in newer EU members (Romania and Bulgaria) or in potential candidates (successor states of the former Yugoslavia) where there is still much more space for newcomers.

Q:  What advice would you give to British food and drink companies looking to establish themselves in the CEE market?

• Exporters to our region should keep in mind the rapidly widening food selection and the fact that persuading local consumers to choose British food products usually requires some amount of investment, mainly into various forms of promotion – e.g. CEE consumers are highly responsive to small gifts or prize draws.
• They also should consider that the chief decision makers regarding food in CEE societies are middle-aged or older women who are often very traditional in their eating and cooking habits  and expect  producers to ‘teach’ them how to use their products - e.g. producers’ recipe brochures are very welcome.
•  As there are often big differences in levels of development and consumer preferences by markets, exporters should be careful in assessing their opportunities in the individual countries. On the other hand, in certain food categories they can take advantage of regional distributor contacts reaching beyond the borders.

Q:  What product areas are the most successful for International Companies?

This is strongly dependent on the development level and trends in the individual markets – but in general, the most innovative areas are convenience foods, easy-to-serve snack products and within each category, healthy items are heading the top of the list of the most successful products.