Sweet New Business for Finlay's Food
Northern Irelandfood ingredients producer, Finlay's Foods is rapidly growing its export markets, having recently secured new distribution agreements in the Middle East and Africa, primarily for the company's manufactured products.
In the United Arab Emirates, Finlay's Foods have recently reached an agreement with a marketing company based in Dubai in a bid to build on their current distribution.
"This new partner has an established network of distributors within the food services sector in the UAE and wider Middle Eastern market and the inclusion of our extensive range of manufactured products in their portfolio will create a lot of new opportunities for business growth in UAE, Oman, Qatar and Dubai," commented Stewart Finlay, Managing Director of Finlay Foods.
In Saudi Arabia, Finlay's Foods now has two new representatives, as Stewart explained: "We have been supplying one manufacturer in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) direct for several years, but we have now appointed two new distributors there to grow our presence in both the food manufacturing and foodservice sectors. The first is a leading supplier to the foodservice industry in KSA and has already indicated interest from one potential new customer who could increase our volume in this market by ten-fold in the next twelve months, which is very exciting for us.
"More recently, as a result of our participation at the Gulfood exhibition in February 2010, where we were part of the delegation of exhibitors on the Invest Northern Ireland stand, We have started doing business with another KSA-based company and our first shipment was dispatched about six months later," said Stewart.
The latest development for Finlay's Foods is a potential partnership with a major wholesaler based in South Africa, as a distributor for the African continent. "This potential new partner has massive business across Africa with full understanding of both the commercial and political issues involved in trading in this region and is a great route to market for us throughout the continent," said Stewart Finlay. "Indeed, the company has already placed a substantial initial order and indications are very positive for ongoing growth. There is obviously massive potential for Finlay's in Africa and we really look forward to developing that market in the years ahead."
The vast proportion of the new business is for Finlay's dry manufactured products, as Stewart explained: "Middle Eastern and Africans have a very sweet tooth, even using sweet ingredients in savoury dishes. Our products are perfect for these markets. As an ambient product with a one-year self-life it's ideal and extremely cost-effective for shipping and storage in hot countries."
Based in Maghaberry in County Armagh, Finlay's Food was founded in 1970 and remains a family owned and run business, with three generations of the Finlay family involved today. The company manufactures an extensive range of fresh and dry food ingredients in four bespoke production departments, all of which operate to EFSIS Global Standard.
Key lines in the fresh ingredient range include a wide selection of 'ready to use' fruit pie fillings, and cheesecake toppings, fruit sauces, sweet mince, trifle jellies and vinegar, while dry ingredients include dehydrated apple and fruit pie fillings, coconut macaroon mix, custard powder, jelly crystals and vermicelli (sugar strands). The company exports to many countries, including Malta, Germany, Egypt, Holland and the UK, where its products are available through a number of other key distributors in the food manufacturing and foodservice sectors.