At the end of October we exhibited once again at the SIAL Food Show. Prior to exhibiting we stopped in London for a few days to visit some current customers. The main focus of the trip to London and SIAL show was to show buyers what this year’s crop quality looks like. Since we produced a crop with much lower quality then in the past 3 years it is important to the buyers to see what they can expect this year.

Our meetings in London provided us with some insight on the growing demand from large food chains in the UK for food safety certification and their need for very clean and high quality product. It is clear that this market is not shifting away from stricter food safety but in fact increasing it. Global food safety has been an initative for many countries over the past 5 years and the trend is continuing as consumer become more aware of their food and demand traceability of product. Our company is presently working toward HACCP certification at all our locations.

Next stop Paris! The SIAL Food Show runs for 5 days. During the show many stopped at our booth to view the samples of new crop quality. It was met with some disappointed faces but as the week went on and they checked with other pulse processors the realization of the fact that they will have to adjust for the year and work with what we have. Even though the crop is not as visually appealing this year the world still demands the product as a source of food.

In our discussions with visitors it was clear that there is strong interest to purchase product from Canada. Many asked about logistical issues and if they could expect same delays as last year. The lack of ability to ship in timely manner has affected Canada’s reputation as reliable shipper. It will be important that we continue to push railroads, steamship lines and ports to work on solutions for exports from Canada.

We considered this trip a huge success in educating customers about the quality this year and working together to sell product in all grades. Next on our list is trip to South America, stay tuned for update on our travels.

Photos courtesy of: Paolo Borsotti | Ovatio-Leroux Inc.