fruit logistica a total success

Top quality at fresh produce industry exhibition –

New record: More than 42,000 trade visitors from 120 countries –

FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award for Dutch Vitamini’s –

Exhibitors and trade visitors give trade fair top marks –

850 media representatives from 50 countries

Berlin, 12 February 2007. FRUIT LOGISTICA 2007, the unique exhibition focusing on the international fresh produce trade presented from 8-10 February, exemplified first-class quality with a comprehensive market overview of the entire fruit and vegetable value chain, high quality stand presentations and top-ranking trade visitors with decision-making authority. The world's leading international trade fair for fruit and vegetable marketing broke a new attendance record again this year. More than 42,000 trade visitors from 120 countries (2006: 36,000/110) were on hand to learn about the products and services available at all levels of the global fresh produce trade. This represents a 16% increase over last year's figures. FRUIT LOGISTICA attracted agricultural ministers from Egypt, Ghana, Greece, Israel and Italy as well as from this year's partner country, the Netherlands. Exhibitors and trade visitors alike praised the presence of top industry decision-makers as well as the excellent contacts to wholesalers and retailers, importers and exporters. The FRUIT LOGISTICA "Organics" and "Convenience" product segments attracted more exhibitors than ever before.

With the aim of providing a first-class marketing platform for the fresh cut and convenience product industry, Messe Berlin will stage a new trade show for this fresh produce sector next year. FRESHCONEX will take place parallel to FRUIT LOGISTICA 2008. According to Messe Berlin COO Dr. Christian Gke, "FRESHCONEX will further strengthen the leadership role of FRUIT LOGISTICA. This unique event will be the world's only combined trade exhibition to bring together all major trade and business players with a focus on the rapidly-growing market for fresh-cut products". In addition to the annual industry event in Berlin, the new ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA trade exhibition will be staged for the first time in conjunction with the ASIA FRUIT CONGRESS from 5-7 September 2007 in Bangkok.

The Vitamini’s vegetable snack produced by the FresQ/Rainbow Growers Group (De Lier, Netherlands) is the winner of this year's FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award. Vitamini’s are ready-to-eat vegetables packed in a plastic bag. The unique mini vegetables are available in three attractive varieties: sugar-sweet mini tomatoes, crispy-tart gherkins and mild & tender orange-coloured peppers. Vitamini’s are ideal as a healthy snack food. The rectangular shape of the package makes Vitamini’s suitable for vending machines. Vitamini’s will be marketed to compete with conventional snack products sold at filling stations, kiosks, supermarkets or fitness studios. The products will be launched on the German market within the next six weeks. The FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award is presented to honour outstanding new products and services that have significantly contributed to the fresh produce sector and were introduced to the market between November 2005 and October 2006. The industry innovation award is sponsored by Messe Berlin GmbH and FRUCHTHANDEL MAGAZINE, Dsseldorf.

Covering 72,000 square metres of indoor exhibition space, FRUIT LOGISTICA 2007 attracted 1,867 exhibitors from 74 countries (2006: 1,611 exhibitors, 64 countries, 60,000 sqm). The trade exhibition presented a complete market overview of the complex logistics that supply consumers worldwide with top-quality fresh fruit and vegetables year-round. Around 86% of the exhibitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2007 came from outside Germany. More than 75% of the trade visitors were from other European countries or other continents. Some 850 media representatives from 50 countries reported from the trade exhibition site in Berlin.

Key objectives for exhibitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA include company presentation/image building, new business development and furthering customer relationships. Exhibitors also focused on providing information to industry professionals and presenting new products and services. Nearly all exhibitors reported that they were highly satisfied with their achievement of these objectives. Although business contracts were not among the top priorities, nearly 50% of all exhibitors reported concluding new orders. 88% of the exhibitors rated the commercial success of their presence at FRUIT LOGISTICA as being positive. Some 86% of exhibitors said they anticipated good post-exhibition business. 72% of exhibitors assessed the economic situation for the industry as (very) good. As a result, 95% of the exhibitors rated their overall impression of this year's FRUIT LOGISTICA as positive. 92% said they would recommend the trade event to business partners and colleagues and 94% indicated that they planned to be back for FRUIT LOGISTICA 2008.

The commercial results of their participation at FRUIT LOGISTICA were given a positive rating by 99% of trade visitors. 81% managed to establish new business contacts and 76% of the trade visitors anticipated further negotiations and business transactions as a result of these contacts. Trade visitors came to Berlin to establish new business contacts, find new suppliers, preview new products and services and gain an overview of the entire fruit and vegetable market along with the technical aspects of the logistics chain. Trade visitors were primarily interested in fresh produce as well as packaging and packaging equipment.

The trend toward increasing internationalisation continued at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2007. Some 22% of trade visitors came from Germany. Compared to last year's trade exhibition, the share of foreign trade visitors increased from 76% to 78%. Of those, around 70% came from EU member states and 8% from other countries in Europe. 10% came from the Americas, 6% from Africa, 5% from Asia and 1% from Oceania. Most of the trade visitors identified themselves as representatives from import/export companies, fruit and vegetable growers or wholesale/retail companies. Despite the significant increase in the number of people attending FRUIT LOGISTICA this year, the share of trade visitors with high-level decision-making authority remained unchanged. Around 78% (2006: 74%) of the trade visitors attending the event are managing directors, directors or department heads. 76% (2006: 74%) said that they are directly or indirectly responsible for procurement decisions in their organisation.

FRUIT LOGISTICA 2007 was organised by Messe Berlin GmbH in cooperation with Fruchthandel Magazine (Dsseldorf). The next edition of FRUIT LOGISTICA is scheduled for 7-9 February 2008. The new FRESHCONEX trade show for fresh-cut and convenience products that debuts next year will take place in conjunction with FRUIT LOGISTICA and share the same dates and venue.

For your final reports, the following press material is available on the Internet: www.fruitlogistica.com / Press Info (information, photos, radio reports). Television networks will find video footage containing exhibitor statements as well as photos from the event on: www.tvservicebox.de. For radio stations, we offer a closing report along with original sound recordings. More than 250 photos from the trade exhibition are available for the print media access. The FRUIT LOGISTICA 2007 final report includes the results of exhibitor and trade visitor surveys along with statements from exhibitors and policymakers.

Statements outlining the trade fair activities of fresh produce companies, industry associations and exhibitors from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is the highlight of the year for our company. This is where we have the opportunity to meet with all of our international business partners, from Europe and the rest of the world". Torsten Spill, General Manager, Dole Fresh Fruit Europe OHG.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA 2007 was a huge success for us. Along with our 'everything from a single source' concept, food safety and quality management were the key topics of our talks. I didn't think that it would be possible to surpass last year's FRUIT LOGISTICA. We are extremely satisfied with our trade exhibition results". Peter Jung, CEO, Atlanta Group.

"The main objective of our trade exhibition presence focuses on maintaining relationships with our customers and suppliers, as well as offering information about new products and market trends. This is directly related to organic and convenience products as well as to product safety". Dirk Allerding, CEO, Fruchtimport vanWylick GmbH.

"We're totally satisfied. The focus of our trade fair presence this year was on grapes, a key product group. In this context, one of the main themes we discussed with visitors at our stand was product safety and security of supplies". Stephan Schlick, Marketing Manager, Cobana Fruchtring Group.

"All of Del Monte's European offices were represented at FRUIT LOGISTICA this year. Our customers from across Europe were able to get in touch with right person at our stand and many of them took advantage of this opportunity. Our company's trade fair objectives focused on intensifying contacts in Eastern Europe. FRUIT LOGISTICA provides an excellent chance to accomplish this". Reinhard Hagemann, General Manager, Del Monte (Germany) GmbH.

"We took advantage of the opportunities at the trade exhibition to demonstrate our commitment to environmental protection and meet with our business affiliates". Michael Loeb, President, Chiquita Europe.

"We were able to hold some highly productive talks with retailers. The days were unbelievably intensive". Michaela Schneider, Marketing Manager Germany, Chiquita Banana Company.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA gives us important indicators for the current season. The in-depth talks with suppliers and customers have a decisive impact on the way we coordinate our import range and on the success of this product group". Ralph Fischer, Marketing Manager, Inter Weichert, Hamburg.

"The DFHV (German Fruit Trade Association) views FRUIT LOGISTICA as an ideal platform for international networking and business contacts. This trade fair has gained enormous international significance and clearly reflects the global supply of produce". Fred Wahnsiedler, DFHV President.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is Europe's prime meeting place for everyone involved in the fresh produce industry. Especially because all of the key decision-makers are here in Berlin". Dr. Andreas Brgger, Managing Director, DFHV (German Fruit Trade Association).

"Our objective at FRUIT LOGISTICA was to attract more attention to the quality and diversity of our products, make the value-added more evident and focus on networked communities. Our trade fair presence was also aimed at intensifying our relationships with Zespri, Enza, the South Tyrolean produce industry, Sopexa and other market partners". Uwe Kluge, Chairman of the GFI (German Wholesale Market Association).

"The trade fair went extremely well for us. We had a large number of people at our stand all day long. FRUIT LOGISTICA is the CMA's leading trade event for the fresh produce and potato industry. We use the exhibition as a key platform for establishing contacts with target groups in Germany and other countries". Manfred Keil, Trade Show and Exhibition Consultant for the CMA (German Agricultural Marketing Board).

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is by far the most important trade fair for the association of German grower organisations. We are extremely satisfied with our success at this huge trade event. From a strategic point of view, it is always better to exhibit at one good trade show than at three bad ones. We regard FRUIT LOGISTICA as an important event for the industry, because this is where we can meet with all of our customers and competitors". Karl Schmitz, Managing Director of the BVEO (Association of German Grower Organisations).

"We had extremely productive talks with our customers. The people who came to our stand were specifically interested in our products". Jrg Geiger, Director Retail Central Europe, IFCO SYSTEMS GmbH.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is extremely important for the Dutch economy. We are the largest exporter to Germany and the second-largest exporter of agricultural products in the world". Dr. Cees Veerman, Minister of Agriculture, the Netherlands.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is vitally important for our exhibitors. Without this trade exhibition, our products wouldn't be available in so many different corners of Europe. This is the most important trade event for the fresh produce industry worldwide. FRUIT LOGISTICA is where contacts are established, agreements reached and business deals concluded". Ramn Luis Valcrcel, President of the Autonomous Region of Murcia.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is the main event for our industry. Each region has its own special reasons for coming to Berlin. We are satisfied with our contacts to key decision-makers. This year, we invited an additional 500 buyers from Poland to come and find out about Italian products. Paolo Pesce, Head of the Food Department, Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE).

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is the most important trade fair in this segment. For the Italian agricultural industry, the exhibition serves not only the gateway to the East, but also to the rest of the world". Paolo De Castro, Italian Minister of Agriculture.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is the most important trade exhibition for us, because this is where we meet the leading industry representatives. It is well organised and meets the needs of exhibitors and trade visitors". Luciano Trentini, Director, Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO), Italy.

"The fact that it offers excellent contact opportunities makes FRUIT LOGISTICA the most important trade fair for our company and not really comparable to any other event". Denys Podkovyrov, Ukrainian Fruit Company.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA offers outstanding opportunities to meet top representatives from the fresh produce industry under one roof and establish valuable business contacts". Ziatko Ziatev, Chairman, Bulgarian Growers Markets.

"The large number of contacts makes FRUIT LOGISTICA in Berlin an absolute must for our company. This trade exhibition helps us develop our seaport in Koper into a European gateway for fresh produce". Marko Babi, Fruit Terminal Director for Luka Koper, d.d. Port and Logistic System, Slovenia.

"We are exhibiting here for the first time and interested in gaining new markets. The EU is our primary target and we feel confident that we can make the most contacts here in Berlin". Davit Jughashvili, AgVantage, Georgia.

"This is our third year at FRUIT LOGISTICA. We're here to meet with all of our suppliers and save a lot of money on annual travel expenses". Margaret Keddy, Keelings Group, Ireland.

"Along with our wholesalers, we tried out a number of trade fairs in several different countries last year. None of them compared with this exhibition in terms of importance. That’s why we decided to focus all our efforts on FRUIT LOGISTICA. This is where people come together. The offices in Italy are deserted. Here we meet buyers from Poland, Russia, the Baltic countries, Ukraine and the rest of Eastern Europe". Dott. Francesco Cera, Managing Director, Padua Central Market, Italy.

"What interests me is the fact that the entire Belgian industry is here. The specialists take advantage of the opportunities to learn about the new products and the latest industry trends. Paul Coenen, Manager of the Flanders Agricultural Marketing Office (VLAM) in Germany.

"The opportunities at FRUIT LOGISTICA are excellent. We invited all of our marketing and sales staff here to establish new business contacts. This was especially valuable for Central and Eastern European markets". Gerhard Meixner, CEO, OPST Obst Partner Steiermark GmbH, Austria.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is a perfect place to establish face-to-face contacts for our worldwide network of marketers. Nick Kendall, Tropical Fruit Buyer for Sainsbury’s, UK.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is the main venue where we can meet the key players who are so important for our business". Mukul Ghildiyal, Vice President, Cargo Care & Port Services, Stockholm, Sweden.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA has gone very well for us. We have operations throughout Europe and it is really satisfying to have visitors from all over the European region. We had a lot of requests from Italy as well as from Eastern European countries including Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic". Klaus Linck, Regional Sales Manager, STECO Deutschland Plastic Logistic Systems GmbH.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is our most important trade exhibition and a gateway to international markets for Brazilian companies. Everyone is here and this makes it a lot easier than to try and visit customers and suppliers in their home countries. Brazilian companies signed contracts worth more than USD 25.3 million this year. Another USD 7 million will result from post-exhibition business. We held talks with more than 1,100 buyers from across Europe, the Middle East, the USA and Canada". Valeska de Oliveira, Executive Manager, IBRAF Brazilian Fruit Institute.

"We do business directly in Berlin. This saves our companies time and money. The trade fair dates are ideal because they coincide with our campaign launch". Beatriz Tubino, Managing Director of the Peruvian Asparagus and Vegetable Institute.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is by far the most important trade exhibition for our country". Ricardo Estrada, President of CORPEI, the Export and Investment Promotion Corporation of Ecuador.

"Our exhibitors are extremely satisfied with the trade exhibition. We generated USD 50 million in business at FRUIT LOGISTICA last year. And we are confident that will do even better in 2007. The exhibition takes place at the beginning of our business year and offers us excellent opportunities to strengthen our existing trade relations. Javier Dufourquet, Manager of Trade Development at Fundacin Exportar, an Argentinean export promotion organisation.

"With its special focus on fresh fruit and vegetables, FRUIT LOGISTICA is our most important fruit trade fair in Europe. In addition to key export markets in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Belgium, we want to use our FRUIT LOGISTICA presence to tap other European markets". Andrea Escobar, Export Manager, Caribbean Exotics, Colombia.

"We managed to promote our quality products on the European market and find new sales partners". Mnica Estvez, FIDE Private Export Development Organisation, Honduras.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA was impressive once again. This exhibition is something that the entire South African fresh produce industry looks forward to each year. FRUIT LOGISTICA offers extremely important contacts to customers in Europe as well as to all worldwide buyers". Stuart Symington, CEO, South African Fresh Produce, Fresh Produce Exporters Forum, South Africa.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is extremely important for Ghana, because it gives us a platform we can use to establish contacts with the industry's key representatives". Mawuzi Agboka, Project Manager, Agricultural Ministry, Ghana.

"We came to Berlin to develop new markets for our products in Eastern Europe. We managed to hold some very promising talks on the first days of the trade fair". Stephan Mintah, General Manager, Sea-Freight Pinapple Exporters of Ghana (SPEG).

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is the world’s most important trade fair for the fruit and vegetable industry. Their presence at this event has helped our exhibitors become part of the international community of growers". Amin Ahmed Mohamed Othman Abaza, Minister of Agriculture, Egypt.

"We currently export to France, but we are also interested in meeting customers and partners at FRUIT LOGISTICA for technology transfers in Germany". Ahmed Attouz, La Grande Rose des Sables Agro, Algeria.

"At FRUIT LOGISTICA we managed to promote Malaysian products and build a network that will enable us to increase our exports to Europe". K. Palasuberniam, Agricultural Consultant, Malaysian Embassy, the Netherlands.

"We want to capture the European market and make contact with interested growers. This exhibition is good for us because it enables us to meet potential partners from many different countries". Ike Tokita, President, Tokita Seed, Japan.

"FRUIT LOGISTICA is an excellent place to meet with our customers and establish new business contacts". Ms Susanne, Commercial Manager, Jinxiang County Huaguang Food Import & Export Company, People's Republic of China.

"We’re here to support small and medium-sized enterprises. We are delighted to see representatives from all the major companies and organisations at FRUIT LOGISTICA and have already held a number of discussions and established new contacts". A.S. Rawat, Managing Director of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India.

"Germany is our biggest fresh produce customer. The fact that our primary market is in Europe makes this trade exhibition extremely important for our exhibitors". Shalom Simchon, Minister of Agriculture, Israel.

"Once again this year, we are extremely satisfied with the number of high ranking visitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA and the record attendance of people from all over the world". Tony Fissette, Managing Director, Enza Fruit New Zealand (Continent) N.V.

"We Australians definitely want to play a role at FRUIT LOGISTICA and see what's happening in other parts of the world. This is important, because we're all living in a global village". Wayne Prowse, Portfolio Manager, Australia Fresh.

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FRUIT LOGISTICA a total success