Ukrainian organic producers in search of new export opportunities at ANUGA 2023 international trade fair in Germany

Anuga is one of the world’s largest international trade fairs for food and beverages and is the industry’s leading event with almost 100 years of history. The trade fair is held every 2 years at the Koelnmesse exhibition centre in Cologne, Germany, and is a platform for finding business partners from all over the world and making new professional contacts. This year the trade fair takes place from 07 to 11 October.  

More and more Ukrainian organic producers are using international trade fairs as a way to expand  sales markets and export  Ukrainian organic products abroad.

This year, 19* export-oriented organic producers from Ukraine are participating in Anuga Organic 2023. 

*The data on the number of participants is taken from the Anuga website as of 28 September 2023. 

Accordingly, a wide range of Ukrainian organic products are presented at Anuga 2023 this year, including organic cereals, dairy products, oils, nuts, vegetables and fruits, etc. This is an exceptional opportunity for Ukrainian producers to demonstrate the high quality of their products, as well as to strengthen international partnerships and open up new opportunities for exporting both raw materials and higher value-added products.  

The National Pavilion of Ukraine, organised by the State Institution  “Entrepreneurship and Export Development Office” in framework of the Ukrainian national project Diia.Business, is represented by 6 companies:  

1. Ukroliya, LLC (Poltava region): specialises in the production of organic oils, high oleic sunflower oil in particular. Other organic products include soybean oil, sunflower and soybean cake, sunflower husk and fusel oil. The company is known for its high quality products and compliance with organic production standards. 
2. Catanzaro Eurasia, LLC (Alta Kraina), (Odesa region): specialises in the production, processing and export of organic products, including raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, dried mushrooms, grape and apple juices, freeze-dried berries, etc. The company has been exporting its products to Western Europe for over 8 years. 
3. Nutsee, LLC (Slow Walnuts), (Zakarpattia region): the company was an   exhibitor at Anuga in 2019 and 2021. Participation in the trade fair brought new opportunities and knowledge of current trends. Expectations from this year’s participation: to find partners for cooperation in the European organic sector , as well as to start new seasons of walnuts and pumpkin seeds on a high note. The company specialises in the export of walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin kernels, as well as roasted and salted pumpkin seeds of Ukrainian origin. The company’s organic certified products include walnuts and walnut kernels. The company exports its products to the Baltic States, Western and Eastern Europe. The exported products are processed at the company’s own facilities.
4. Galeks-Agro, PE (Zhytomyr region): was established in 2008 and is now one of the largest certified organic producers of organic crops, animal breeding and processing of animal products in Ukraine. Galeks-Agro is renowned for its wide products range of organic cereals, flakes, flour and honey.
5. Organic Milk, LLC (Zhytomyr region): The Organic Milk brand, which is part of the “Galeks-Agro” group of companies, produces organic dairy products, which are characterised by high quality and careful treatment of animals. Among organic certified products: pasteurised cow milk, kefir, fermented baked milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, Hard cheese, brynza, drinking yoghurt, drinking cream pasteurised,  yogurt lactose-free etc.
6. Chemex Ltd, LLC (ProOrganica) (Kyiv region) is a company with over 20 years of experience. In 2020, a new organic processing plant was launched in Kyiv region. The company supplies premium organic products, which includes about 58 items of  winter wheat, buckwheat, peas, under the ProOrganica brand to the UK and other countries in Europe and the world. 

Location of the National Pavilion of Ukraine at the trade fair: Hall 5.1, Stand F032.  

The National Pavilion of Ukraine at the Anuga Organic 2023 is organised by the State Institution “Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office (Ukraine) in framework of the Ukrainian project Diia.Business under the patronage of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine in partnership with the Organic Initiative Public Association and with support from: 

• Switzerland through the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sectors of Ukraine” (QFTP), implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland);   
• Regional USAID Economic Development, Governance, and Growth Enterprise (EDGE) project. 

Official brochure of National Pavilion of Ukraine at Anuga Organic 2023. 

Outside the National Pavilion of Ukraine, 14 other Ukrainian organic producers are taking part in Anuga Organic 2023 as participants of collective stands and individually. 

3 Ukrainian organic companies  are participating within the booth organised by  Import Promotion Desk (IPD): 

1.  West Berry, LLC (Lviv region): specialises in the production and export of berries, including organic ones. Since its foundation in 2016, the company has grown and become one of the largest exporters of frozen berries in Ukraine. The company’s organic products include blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, rosehips and blackthorns.
2. Sav Agro Partner, LLC (Volyn region) (also supported by the Ukrainian Berry Association): specialises in growing,t freezing and selling of vegetables and berries. The company also harvests and sells wild products such as wild mushrooms and berries. The total area of the farm is over 150 hectares. Fresh and frozen raspberries and strawberries and buckwheat are certified in accordance with the requirements of organic production by the certification body Organic Standard LLC. 
3. Amethyst-Ole, LLC (Zhytomyr region): the company specialises in the production of frozen berries and mushrooms and sale of walnuts. In 2013, the company received its first organic certificate and has been confirming its organic status every year since. The organic products sold by the company include blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, lingonberries, sea buckthorn, rose hips, elderberries, raspberries, strawberries and walnuts. Thanks to advanced equipment and professional teamwork, the company produces up to 30 tonnes of IQF products per day.  

IPD is an initiative of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA) and the development organisation sequa gGmbH Partner of German Business. IPD is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

4 Ukrainian organic companies are at the stand, organised with the support of the International Trade Centre (ITC): 

1. Agro Trade Lubny, LLC (Poltava region): a company that has been on the market for more than 20 years, specialising in sale of beans, pumpkin seeds and nuts, including organic ones. The organic quality of its walnuts and beans is confirmed by a certificate from Organic Standard. The company is active on the international market and has gained an excellent reputation. 
2. Oril-Eco, LLC (Dnipropetrovska oblast): a company founded in 2018, specialising in the cultivation of organic strawberries on 12.8 hectares and remontant organic raspberries on 22.7 hectares in Tsarychanskyi district of Dnipropetrovsk oblast. The company has about 62 organic products certified in accordance with the organic standard, including garden strawberries, raspberries, freeze-dried apples, freeze-dried hard-bore pumpkins, etc.  In 2022, despite the difficult situation in the country, the company, together with the Panfruit Ukraine brand, launched a new berry project – freeze-dried organic raspberries and strawberries. The range now also includes freeze-dried fruit and vegetables. 
3. Ukr-Volnat, LLC (Khmelnytsk region): specialises in the supply of walnut kernels and nuts in shells. The company is the largest authorised certified producer, supplier and exporter in Ukraine. Every year, the company undergoes German quality control to obtain the BIO-Standard certificate. Organic products certified by Organic Standard include walnut fruit and kernel. Blanched walnuts are a new type of organic product.
4. GADZ, FG (Ternopil region): farm specialises in growing and exporting apples, pears and plums. In the period from 2011 to 2020, more than 600 hectares of orchard were planted with seedlings grown in Europe. The company offers both conventional and organic products, which are certified by Organic Standard in accordance with EU and Canadian standards. The certified organic products include fresh and dried apples, applesauce, blueberry and raspberry puree, apple juice, apple crisps, etc.

The collective stand of Ukrainian exporters within the scope of ANUGA 2023 was organized by the project of the International Trade Centre (ITC) “Linking Ukrainian SMEs in the Fruits and Vegetables Sector to Global and Domestic Markets and Value Chains” funded by Sweden.

The stand organized thanks to the support of USAID “Competitive Economy of Ukraine” in cooperation with Innovative Farming and Cooperation, NGO and Ukrainian Berry Association features 3 companies, one of which is mentioned above: 

1. Terra, LLC (Kharkiv region): specialises in the production of natural food products based on cereals and legumes. The company, which was founded in 1997, currently produces cereals, flakes, granolas and soups, etc. The list of organic products certified by Organic Standard includes 77 items, including green lentil puree, coconut milk powder, dried mushrooms, flax, chickpeas, pearl barley, peas, wheat groats, etc.
2. Eco Berry, FE (Ivano-Frankivsk region): specialises in the production of frozen berries, fruits, vegetables and mushrooms. Certified organic products include raspberries, garden strawberries, and red currants. The company uses the IQF individual quick freezing process to freeze its crops within a few hours of harvest, which takes just minutes. 

A stand of Zhytomyr Butter Plant, JSC (Zhytomyr region) is organised with a help of the Export Promotion Center at the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (ULIE) . The company is a leader among Ukrainian ice cream producers. They have created the first Ukrainian organic ice cream, Eskimos-Organic, which is made of milk from the best organic farms in Ukraine. On the packaging of Eskimos-Organic ice cream you will see the Euroleaf, which indicates that the product is made in accordance with the requirements of the European Union’s organic production legislation. 

The following companies organised their own stands at the trade fair: 

1. ALTE Foods (Zhytomyr region): the company participated in Anuga 2021 and had a successful experience. As a result of participation in the trade fair, about 20 contracts were signed with companies from Asia, North America and Europe. The company specialises in berries, vegetables and mushrooms freezing. It is a new ambitious and powerful manufacturer of IQF products. The company has certificates, including from Organic Standard, which certify the quality and compliance with all European and Ukrainian production standards. Certified organic products include blueberries, elderberries, rosehips, sea buckthorn, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cowberries, as well as porcini mushrooms, chanterelles and Sіuillus.  
2. Darlisad, LLC (Volyn region): company is one of the largest producers of frozen fruits in Ukraine. This family-owned company was founded in 2005 in a forested area on the West of Ukraine. Currently, the production capacity is over 200 tonnes per day. The company’s organic products include blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, elderberries, lingonberries, rose hips, sea buckthorn, chokeberries and raspberries. 
3. Galfrost, LLC (Lviv region): specialises in growing, freezing and preserving berries. Since 2008, the company has been certified in accordance with the organic standards of the European Union, the United States (National Organic Programme (NOP)), and Sweden (KRAV). The company’s organic products include blueberries, blackberries, chokeberries, raspberries, strawberries, lingonberries, sea buckthorn, cranberries, and elderberries.  
4. Skvyra Grain Processing Plant, LLC (Kyiv region):company was founded in 1986-1991 on the basis of a grain reception centre that had been operating since 1931, and has come a long way to become a large-scale, modern and diversified enterprise, and has become one of the leaders in the grain industry in Ukraine and one of the largest plants in Eastern Europe. Today the plant processes over 50 thousand tonnes of grain per year and exports a significant share of its output to 85 countries. The company was one of the first to be certified in accordance with Ukrainian organic legislation. The list of organic products certified by Organic Standard includes about 60 items, among them buckwheat groats, corn groats, oat flakes, barley groats, wheat flakes, wholemeal flour from durum wheat, etc.

In addition, 5 Ukrainian organic brands present their higher added value products, more than 30 items, at Anuga Organic Supermarket: Ukroliya, Alta Kraina, Slow Walnuts, Organic Milk and Galeks-Agro. The Organic Supermarket is the highlight  of Anuga Organic. In Hall 5.1 exhibitors are expected to present more than 1500 items of organic food and beverages for retail. The aim of this supermarket is to demonstrate products diversity of the entire organic range within the new modern concept of an organic supermarket. The participation of Ukrainian organic companies in the Anuga Organic Supermarket is organised by Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office and supported by Switzerland within the QFTP.  

Ukrainian organic companies at Anuga 2023 demonstrate their commitment to supporting the sustainable development of the organic sector in Ukraine and the world. They contribute to the promotion and raising awareness of Ukrainian organic products on the global market. Ukraine can be proud of its contribution to the support and promotion of the organic sector, and Anuga 2023 is a great opportunity to showcase this success to the global community.

For reference: Catalogue of Ukrainian organic exporters.