Wirtschaftskammer Österreich

There will be 57 Austrian organic exhibitors this year at the 880m² ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA joint stand as part of the international trade fair BIOFACH 2019, the world’s largest fair for the organic industry, held from 13 to 16 February in Nuremberg. In addition to the companies represented at the ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Group Stand, there will be another 38 companies with an individual presence at BIOFACH. A total of 2,800 companies from over 80 countries (70% foreign) will present their organic products to around 50,000 international trade specialists.

The comprehensive range of high quality products from the Austrian participants includes organic dairy products, hard and soft cheeses, fresh and dried organic fruits, organic muesli, pumpkin seed oil, organic oils and pastes, seeds, sugar and starch products, organic eggs, organic flour, organic fruit juice, organic teas, organic chocolate, organic jams and preserves, organic baby food, herbs and spices for baking, hemp seeds, fresh and frozen organic vegetables, organic nutritional supplements, IT services for organic organisations and consultants for organic certification, organic commodities management, organic fertilisers, lunchboxes and drinks bottles, primary packaging, the development, construction and sale of food processing machinery, and an information stand for organic certification bodies.

There will be ten new exhibitors presenting at the Austria Stand.

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA traditionally hosts a Viennese organic café with free tastings provided by the exhibitors. Visitors can sample freshly prepared organic meals at the Agrarmarkt Austria and Bio Austria stands.

On the second day of the fair, ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA, Agrarmarkt Austria and Bio Austria will host an “Organic evening” at the Austria Stand; 300 participants are expected to attend.

The Upper Austria Food Cluster is expected to visit the Austria Stand with a business delegation during the course of BIOFACH. The Higher Technical College for Agriculture and Nutrition in Linz has also announced that they will bring a group of students.

Furthermore, industry experts from the foreign trade centres in Den Haag and Paris will be on hand to give Austrian exhibitors information about the food and drinks markets in the Netherlands and France. Appointments have already been arranged between food and drinks buyers and the Austrian exhibitors.

As previous fairs have shown, BIOFACH is the ideal trade fair for Austrian companies from the far-ranging organic segment, offering excellent opportunities to find German and international business partners in particular.

The Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture estimates that the organic market in Germany was worth around EUR 10.1 bn in 2018, accounting for around 3% of the entire German food and drinks market. Germany is the EU’s largest export market for organic products.

The lion’s share of the organic market now goes to traditional food retailers and discount chains. In 2017 59% of organic goods were already sold via these channels. Greater availability of organic products at supermarkets, food retailers and discount stores is putting increasing pressure on direct sellers and smaller health food stores. The market share of organic sales in 2017 was 59.1% for food retailers and discount chains, 29% for specialist health food stores and 11.9% collectively for direct sales by manufacturers, organic butchers and bakers, farmers' markets, etc.

Another important feature is the fact that only around 50% of organic products sold in Germany are produced at home, the remainder are imported from other EU member states and third countries.

Further information:
Franz Ernstbrunner
AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT MÄRKTE | Food/Retail/Consumer Goods
E aussenwirtschaft.consumergoods@wko.at