This document discusses three Nordic seafood companies - Lykkeberg, Bornholms, and Amanda - who are partnering through the Vitus export program to enter new markets in Brazil, the Middle East, and Japan. For each market, the document outlines the companies' product focus areas and challenges. It also notes advantages and disadvantages of the cluster approach, such as shared costs but difficulty coordinating competing products across companies. Initial market testing in Brazil and exhibitions in Tokyo and Dubai showed consumer interest but also difficulties breaking into new regions where the companies' niche products are unfamiliar.

2. • CEO and owner of Bornholms A/S since
2006
• Age 56
• Education: Engineer and economics
• CV: CEO, Haugen-Gruppen, Denmark
CEO, Carl Lange, Denmark
Sales rep., IBM, Denmark
Christian Sieverts

3. • Privatly owned company
• Ambient products
• Chilled products
• Production in Northern Jutland
• Strong in DK and UK (Total export 35%)
• Amanda brand og private label
Amanda

4. • Privatly owned company
• Chilled products
• Herrings from Iceland (Gammeldags
modnede)
• Production in Hørve (Sealand)
• Mainly on the domestic market
• Lykkeberg brand
Lykkeberg

5. • Privatly owned company
• Only ambient products
• Production in Iceland and Bornholm
• 65% export
• Bornholms and Officers brand (supplier to the Royal
Danish Court)
• Private label
Bornholms

6. • Need for export
• We ”know” Europe (EU)
• Emerging market
• Need for cost reductions
• Shared cost
Nordic Seafood Cluster

7. • Government ”Export Growth Package”
• ”No Fish” money
• Introduction to Vitus
• Application to Vitus

8. • Has been in ”the air” since 2010 and the programs
main purpose is to kick-start small/medium sized
companies
exports to new markets.
• The Export Council assigns a resident adviser, local
known
with a strong local sector knowledge.
• The program consists of 3-4 months of strategy
development and 8-9 months of execution.
About the Vitus-program

9. • 3 companies
• 3 different marketplaces
• Each company responsible of it’s own
marketplace
• 1-2 year project
Vitus Cluster

10. • Brazil
• Approval of factories
• Assortment – what is suited
• Finding importer/distributor
• Test sales
• Bureaucratic obstacles
Vitus - Lykkeberg

11. • Middle East
• Seafex exhibitor
• Identifying importers
• Labels/assortment
• Mentality
Vitus – Bornholms A/S

12. • Korea/Japan
• Tokyo exhibition
• Finding/identifying partners
• Identifying ”possible” products
• ”Very” different taste
Vitus – Amanda

13. • Shared cost
• Lower cost
• Focused areas
• ”Jumping into it”
• More coverage
• Could potentially involve a 4th partner
Advantage – Nordic Cluster

14. • Complications due to competition
• Joined exhibition – difficult (Tokyo)
• Assortments need to be coordinated
• Risk on focusing on ”own markets”
• Some products are simply not suited
Dis-advantage ”Nordic Cluster”

15. Vitus
advantage/disadvantage

16. Lykkeberg/Amanda/Bornholms participated
with products at a charity event in Sao Paolo.
Partly to get feedback on the products and
partly to get products into Brazil.
The products were well received, but if the
visitors of this event represented the right
Brazilian population is doubtfull.
Brazil – Scandinavian Fair
Challenges:
It’s very difficult to get products into Brazil if they are not approved in advance.
Even getting the labels approved when you have found an importer, is not easy and takes a long,
long time.

17. JAPANESE MARKET:
• Difficult to brake through on these
distant
markets together as they need a long
term
persistence market processing
Japan - Tokyo Foodex
• Our products seem only to fit a niche
area within the food business
POSITIVE:
• Sharing expenses for the booth and
inviting potential customers together.
• Showing a wide range of products and
being able to share transportation of
products
on a first trial order.
NEGATIVE:
• Too small booth for 3 companies,
difficult for the visitors to understand
how 3 competing companies would be
in the same booth.
• Could be overwhelming for visitors to
enter the booth, when three companies
made the approach and some
products competed.

18. Separate booths in Dubai and showing
Lykkebergs products at our booth did not
work very well. Better placed at Amanda –
but not a big succes.
Our products seem only to fit a niche area
within the food business.
Dubai - Seafex POSITIVE:
• The Nordic reputation can help us with quality
issues.
CHALLENGES:
• Our products are not known in the Middle
East.
We have to teach them how to use our
products.
That is not an easy proces.
• Tried to set up a ”Tasting Event” together
with the Royal Danish Consulate General,
Dubai
– unfortunately without succes.
• Our products seem only to fit limited
eating situations.
• Listing fees in the retail chains are high.