Cornish Sea Salt is an essential ingredient
Cornish Sea Salt are a company that has taken much time to create a product that is in demand. Export markets are something that most companies want to break into, they can be very lucrative but unfortunately many companies fail in their efforts. This is often due to a lack of resources and not having a long enough view.
The UK retail market is rather different to others internationally and just because a product has been successful at home does not mean it will take off abroad. Sometimes it is better for companies to focus on their home markets, which while less exciting, can often provide better returns. For example, in the US, just to do business you need to establish relationships with distributors in that country.
When you choose to export a product there will be many layers to the process, such as the distributors, as well as brokers, manufacturers, and wholesalers. At each layer the person will want a cut, which ultimately reduces a company’s profits.
The success of Cornish Sea Salt in Waitrose leads the company to believe that they would have success in the United States with similar retailers, such as Whole Foods. Those particularly keen on specialist foods in America would probably enjoy the niche brand. It might just be for Cornish Sea Salt that a move into the American market is the right choice if they have already saturated the one in the UK.
At some point in a company’s life, small food producers do tend to move towards exports. The first step in such a move is to understand what the customers want in the target country. Detailed research must be conducted so that sales will successfully grow. Companies looking to export would be wise to join the Food & Drink UK Exporters Association.
This group often have stands at trade fairs which are held internationally, recently these have been held in Paris and Germany. They also became involved when the ‘Food from Britain’ scheme had its funding reduced.
Some analysts might say that Cornish Sea Salts would be better off sticking to exports in Europe, and Ireland is still the largest importer of food from the UK. Another consideration that companies must have when they plan to export is to translate the language on their packaging. Not only will this mean the product has the greater appeal to consumers but it will also ensure that various food regulations can be met.
