Down to Earth in UK market
FIJIAN condiment maker Down to Earth has announced its breakthrough into the United Kingdom market in a new deal that will see its products on supermarket shelves there.
Director, Sam Campbell said the company offered the first pallet on consignment to incentivise the new distributor, emphasising a collaborative approach to entering new markets. Events such as the Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2023 was a success for the business as it was able to secure a distribution deal with Hotheadz, the biggest website for chilli fanatics which holds the largest stocks of the widest range of speciality hot sauces in the UK.
“The connection to International Trade Centre, Pacific Trade Invest Europe and Investment Fiji has been very beneficial during 2023,” Mr Campbell said.
“Hotheadz has restocked shops in the UK that were previously buying from our previous United States of America based distributor.
“By securing a UK based distributor, we can lower the costs and distributor margins to try to enter new market places. We now have four UK stockists purchasing monthly,” he added.
Chief executive officer of Investment Fiji Kamal Chetty said Investment Fiji had been able to connect Down to Earth Fiji with United Kingdom Trade Partnership (UKTP) program manager Jarmila Saarda and Trade Commissioner European Union, Jodie Stewart who had paid a visit to the company’s production facility in Pacific Harbour.
“Through this interaction, UKTP gave an opportunity to Down to Earth to participate at a trade show in UK which enabled them to secure a distributor for their products,” he said.
Down to Earth plans to engage supermarkets in the UK and an estimated value of $F140,000 for shipments to UK and boutique stores in Europe.