SCOTLAND’S largest food and drink international sales event has generated a potential £77 million in sales to markets around the world.
Food and drink is one of Scotland’s largest global exports, worth £8.1 billion annually to the Scottish economy, and has been highlighted as a key area for driving the £4bn growth target of the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership’s national industry strategy.
Held in Edinburgh this week, Showcasing Scotland welcomed over 100 of the world’s most influential food and drink buyers to conduct 1822 official meetings with over 100 Scottish exporting or export ready food and drink businesses.
Around 92% of the Scottish producers attending Showcasing Scotland reported that doors had been opened to new markets as a result of the event. The suppliers also identified the biggest export opportunities in Asia, North America, Europe, and the rest of the UK.
READ MORE: Scottish businesses aim to make global 'multi-million pound deals'
Showcasing Scotland 2024 brought together buyers from the rest of the UK and 22 countries, including China, United Arab Emirates, USA, South Korea, France, and Japan, for a series of speed-dating-style meetings and sector-focused tours.
Of those buyers, 37.5% said that they were “certain” to spend more on Scottish products as a result of the event and 62.5% said they were “very likely” to spend more on Scottish products.
More than 90% (91.6%) of buyers said that they were most impressed by the quality of products on show.
Iain Baxter (above), chief executive at Scotland Food and Drink, said: “Adding £77m to the pipeline of Scottish food and drink producers is an incredible result by any measure. We have a global reputation for the quality and variety of our food and drink, demonstrated by the buyers’ desire to buy more from us.
“We welcomed so many inspirational people from across the world, fostering new commercial links, and friendships that should pay dividends for some of Scotland’s best and most innovative producers.”
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