Where to start

Made in Italy in the food sector has gained more and more popularity in recent years, becoming a trademark constantly sought after within a global context in which “reliability” and “high quality” represent essential characteristics to achieve a fertile market hegemony.

If on the one hand the global crisis does not indicate its inexorable march, on the other hand globalization has opened up new frontiers of trade, in which the possibility of bringing supply and demand together has become increasingly concrete thanks to the internet.

Let’s see how to ride the technological wave without neglecting important legal issues and therefore caressing the idea of approaching the world of food exports.

Basic preliminary aspects

First of all, the internet and the online market make our presence on sites and social networks necessary and, in an international trade perspective, it is necessary to master these means in addition to knowing the English language to communicate with your audience.

The first step to take to start exporting your products is to contact the ICE Agency (Institute of Foreign Trade), perhaps also through collaborators who deal with private consultancy in the sector at an international level.

Based on the country to which we are going to export, we will have to comply with its regulations which will constitute the bottleneck in the process from production to sale to the end customer,

The ICE Agency will give us a first indispensable support precisely for this.

Potranno essere richiesti certificati di esportazione, attestati di analisi, il codice di tariffa doganale, certificati d’origine, distinte di carico, fatture commerciali e così via.

The perishable nature of food products will then be one of the main issues and, to face this aspect in the most appropriate way, we will have to establish strict logistical principles.

Our means of transport must therefore be equipped with cold rooms and the various products must be contained in special approved containers to store them, protecting them from any potential factor that may deteriorate their contents.

Distribution and agreements with retailers

Aware of following any regulation on the export and marketing of the product in the country of destination, we will be able to propose ourselves to the relevant potential commercial partners.

Through the internet we will have to identify and select those that most interest us to contact them and thus establish a business relationship by defining the fundamental legal aspects to ensure a safe and lasting contact.

In this phase we will also be able to rely on professional figures who deal with the definition of commercial agreements with foreign countries, who will deal with issues related to packaging and product labels, the minimum information required, advertising materials and so on, satisfying every aspect legal issue.

It will then be of fundamental importance to define the commercial conditions from the point of view of payments, transport details, customs, insurance issues, etc., possibly offering their support in terms of sales aids.

Conclusions on the subject

We have seen that in order to set up a solid and lasting foreign trade, it is necessary to follow a precise procedure, conforming to well-defined procedures also in tax and customs aspects, but certainly it is worth trying your hand at this venture.

We think that it is also of fundamental importance to create your own identity as a commercial brand, but this applies both in Italy and abroad.

The power of the brand will have to be manifested through advertising channels, especially online ones, and will also constitute a fundamental step in building our reputation and fighting the trade in counterfeit products and fake Made in Italy products.

The Exporium team