pineapple market in Europe, and particularly in the Czech Republic, is quite new. Alexis Villamar, head of Proecuador's Commercial Office in Hamburg, Germany, stated that this product's exports to Europe are sporadic; slightly more focused on the British and German markets, and carried out by only a few Ecuadorian companies."Exports to the Czech Republic are very small and often go through brokers in Germany, England or France. In any case, the product is mainly used in the gourmet niche or as decorative ingredient in baking, and is not as much intended for mass retail," he added.
The value of the product's shipments is not greater than US$20 million per year. Villamar pointed out that they only started gaining importance after Ecuadorian exporters started participating in promotional fairs, mostly in Germany, and managed to contact companies all over Europe.
Proecuador's representative affirms that the Czech Republic has a very high per capita income and a growing demand for gourmet products. However, the market is difficult to access, logistically speaking, and requires a number of sanitary and labelling certifications.
"There are other products with great potential for Ecuador, such as fresh fruit, sea products, and dry and dehydrated products, like physalis, pineapple or others, but it is first recommended to conduct a market study to determine their potential. The idea is to promote their export to countries like France, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, which offer the best chances for competitive market conditions."
