Vietnamese firms showcase products at largest food & drink expo in UK

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long (L) visits a pavilion of Vietnam at the expo (Photo: VNA)

Six Vietnamese companies showcased their food and beverage products at the Food & Drink Expo 2023 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham city on April 24 – 26 with the support of the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK and the EUTEK Group.

As the largest food & drink trade show in the UK, the expo provides an annual venue for businesses operating in the food industry throughout the country. This year’s event attracted over 1,500 local and international businesses, along with more than 25,000 visitors.

It offers a good chance for food manufacturers, service providers, wholesalers, retailers, and distributors to connect, seek potential suppliers and partners, as well as get updates on market trends, new products, and the direction of the food industry in the future.

Vietnamese pavilions at the expo featured various key products, including coffee, beer, rice, dried and instant foods, frozen seafood, herbal products, and various fresh and dried spices, as well as dipping sauces.

Nguyen Canh Cuong, Trade Counsellor at the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK, said the agency has coordinated with the EUTEK Group to organise Vietnamese booths at the expo as an activity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the UK, and to promote high-quality food products to UK and European consumers.

Such activities help open up new prospects for many Vietnamese food and beverage products in the UK, including Birmingham and adjacent areas, where an estimated 20,000 Vietnamese are living and working, Cuong said, adding that Vietnamese products become more and more popular in the European nation.

The Trade Office is willing to accompany businesses to bring more and more Vietnamese products to the UK, he affirmed.

Nguyen Hai Nam, President of the EUTEK Group, said the fair also gives businesses an opportunity to learn experience from corporations and big brands from Hong Kong (China), China, Thailand, and especially the Republic of Korea, in exporting goods to big markets such as the UK and Europe.

He stressed that to develop and stand firm in the UK as well as other markets in the world, Vietnamese firms should focus on building brands with long-term strategies./.