PIK Vrbovec and Belje introduce their products at the 14th Hong Kong Food Festival
10. January 2017.PIK Vrbovec and Belje concluded the previous year by introducing their processed meat products at the 2016 Hong Kong Food Festival, held from December 24 to December 28. In the category of processed meat products, PIK Vrbovec decided to present, for the first time, its traditional products to visitors in Hong Kong, in the form of cold cuts. The products served were the following: PIK Kulen, Rustika dry salami, Rustika dry salami with walnuts, Rustika dry salami with truffles and Panona Salami. Belje presented Kulenova seka and Baranja kulen, which bear the protected geographical indication. PIK Vrbovec exports its products to CEFTA-markets and to 15 EU countries, including Italy, Romania, Sweden, Hungary, Germany, Austria, etc. In 2016, its foreign market share of sales amounted to 19% for the whole product range.
14th five-day long Hong Kong Food Festival gathered renowned manufacturers from all over the world, and was attended by 1.25 million visitors. At this traditional festival, Croatian manufacturers introduced their indigenous products to the Asian market for the first time, because Hong Kong serves as a starting point for accessing the Chinese and Pacific markets.
“In the last few years, business activities of PIK Vrbovec have been export-oriented, with particular regard to the EU and other non-regional markets. In 2016, our foreign market share of sales amounted to 19% for the whole product range. Given the fact that we already export some of our meat categories to Hong Kong, this festival was an amazing opportunity for PIK Vrbovec to introduce its processed meat products to this market. PIK has also been recognized in foreign markets for its quality and product innovation, both in terms of producing processed and fresh meat products. That is why we believe that being a part of this festival will encourage further business expansion to Asian market, which is particularly interesting and challenging to us”, pointed out Boris Cvetković, Export Sales Director of PIK Vrbovec.
“Baranja kulen and Kulenova seka, products of rich tradition and superior quality, are produced in Belje according to the original recipes of old masters. These authentic products are precisely what we use to introduce ourselves to export markets all over the world. We find Asian markets interesting because of their affinity for spicy food and products made of best-quality pork, just like Baranja kulen”, pointed out Ivica Starčević, director of Sales, Marketing and Tourism Sector of Belje.
PIK Vrbovec is the biggest exporter within the Agrokor Group, and ever since the Republic of Croatia joined the European Union, the company has been experiencing double-digit export growth. State-of-the-art technology, top experts, tested recipes, originality, continual innovation, and a 75-year-long tradition guarantee the quality of PIK-brands, and enable success on national, regional, and international markets.
