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Interview with Ewa Bartnicka-Wilusz, Export Director of MP Trade

Monday, 10 October, 2016 Food From Poland 26/2016
What does the pasta market in Poland look like compared to Western Europe?

We enjoy watching the Polish pasta market grow successively and develop constantly. We will observe further growth in this category. Today, the Poles are much more eager to reach for pasta in their cuisine, which unquestionably motivates us for further work in the development of our products. Importantly, Poles have become conscious consumers, they read labels and do not just compare prices but, above all, the quality, composition and origin of available products. This consciousness increasingly more often causes Polish consumers, just as our western neighbours, to choose top quality, healthy and functional products.

Which outlets are strategic for the company?

According to the development strategy adopted by our company for the next 5 years, we have decided to focus, above all, on European, African and Asian markets. Currently, our products are available in most European countries as well as in Africa, and export sales are growing by approx. 30% year-on-year.

To maintain the upward trend, we are focussing on the acquisition of new contractors and on the development of cooperation with the current partners. In order to achieve this, we have met the customers’ expectations as well as prospects and made a decision to expand our offer with a new brand, intended for export markets: Novelle, which, in my opinion, has a chance of conquering global markets due to its high product quality and unique design makes it stand out among the assortment currently available on the market.

Your export hits are…

We carefully observe the trends emerging in Europe and worldwide, and we expand our product offer in accordance with the demands and expectations of our consumers. We seek inspiration during both business and private travels, to make, with the help of our R&D department, products that will attract our customers and appear on the tables of consumers worldwide. This is why we offer new products, including, among others, flavoured pastas that are already in our offer, or BIO products, made of raw materials provided exclusively by certified suppliers. We also put much hope in apple chips intended to replace the traditional salty snacks. It is a 100% natural product with no colourings and preservatives. Unquestionably, wholemeal and spelt flour pasta enjoys much interest as well. It results from the current trends for a healthy and balanced diet.

In my opinion, the main features that a product should have in order to stay in a consumer’s menu for good are its uniqueness, functionality and attractive packaging, and this is what we try to focus on.

The company’s plans for the next months, years…

For several years, we have been putting an emphasis on the development of exports, we wish to continue our expansion to new markets. In order to achieve this goal, we care for the development of cooperation with the current partners, continuously looking for new contractors at the same time. As the consumers are becoming increasingly more demanding, this is quite a serious challenge. Our plans include, above all, the introduction and development of the Novelle brand, and this is what I would focus on. We concentrate our activities on the development in the area of healthy and ecologic products. Simultaneously, the company intensifies its marketing and R&D activities. Moreover, investments in all 3 production plants are planned for the next several years, aimed at increasing competitiveness and expanding the portfolio of the offered products.

Thank you.

tagi: Ewa Bartnicka-Wilusz , MP Trade ,