FRUTAS POTOSI BUCARAMANGA – COLOMBIA

Frutas Potosi is a medium agro-industrial company in Colombia doing its part to protect the environment, while also growing trade.

Aware of its impact on the environment, the company executes environmentally responsible practices under “environment management programs,” financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (BID). In recognition for its efforts, Frutas Potosi received the ECOPROFIT 2004 award,* and since 2006, all of company crops are certified as organic. Furthermore, Frutas Potosi is part of a joint project along with a small producers’ association in the region, to recycle all company waste into organic compost.

Doing Business in Canada

Recently, Frutas Potosi secured a deal with a Canadian company, while gaining knowledge of the Canadian market, at the Commercial Mission to Montreal and Salon international de l’alimentation (SIAL) Trade Show, organized by Trade Facilitation Office Canada (TFO Canada), in April 2009. It was one of eight company participants.

The Mission was part of a program “strengthening access to the Canadian market for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Peru and Colombia.” Pre-scheduled customized meetings with Canadian distributors and importers in the agro-food sector and exhibition at the SIAL Trade Show made up the Mission’s agenda.

German Angel, sales manager of Frutas Potosi, said: “In this first stage of introducing our products to the Canadian market, we’ve found a great deal of interest in one of our products – 100% tropical frozen pulp.”
Already, Frutas Potosi has initiated a supplying contract with Solo Fruit, with a sales amount tagged at US$ 160,000. Mr. Angel said he was very pleased with the results of his first visit to Canada and is confident there will be future prospects.

Meanwhile, TFO Canada is working hard to bridge Colombian exporters with the Canadian market, in response to the free trade agreement signed by the two Countries in November 2008. The launch of a free trade agreement marks an opportune time to increase awareness of Canadian market prospects. Additionally, TFO’s program is designed to enhance export knowledge that will support the growth of Colombian export offers to the Canadian marketplace, and to link these exporters with Canadian commercial partners.

* Ecoprofit the “ECOlogical PROject for Integrated Environmental Technology”, is a program for sustainable economic development developed by the Environment Department of the City of Graz , Austria, in 1991 (as cited on www.ecoprofit.com)