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Cambodia: Local companies see success in quest to sell wares at European trade fairs
Cambodian companies are going digital to meet the challenges of marketing their products during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Over the past week local firms have been pitching their products in a virtual arena, hoping to win the chance to get them promoted overseas.
The “Getting Your Products to Europe” initiative is a collaboration between Germany’s GIZ Business Scouts Development Programme and the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham) funded by the German government.
The 27 companies, who make agricultural products, sustainable textiles and accessories, received free training in giving presentations, marketing and developing their brands.
Along with pitching their products on a virtual stage and staffing virtual stalls in the exhibition halls, company representatives were able to chat online and swap contacts in the networking lounge.
A German and Cambodian jury picked 16 companies on Friday who will receive several months of training from the German Trade Fair Industry and win funding to travel to Europe and sell their products at major international trade fairs.
The organisers said they were very impressed by the high standard of the presentations. EuroCham said it believes “there lies a great opportunity to scale up the project in the future, to cover more economic sectors and companies in Cambodia”.
Winners included Phnom Penh based distillers Samai and Seekers. Samai makes rum using local ingredients and traditional methods, while Seekers produces gin, vodka and liqueurs.
On the agricultural side, winners included Sindora and Pepper Bay. Sindora grows spices on degraded land. Pepper Bay farms organic Kampot pepper. Judges also picked dried-fruit producers Misota, CSL Enterprise and Cricket House, which sells dried insects as a form of sustainable protein.
Fashion designers were represented by men’s and women’s tailor Ateliers Colorblind, jewelry-maker Ammo Designs, Samatoa, which makes fabrics from discarded lotus stems and vegan leather from discarded plant waste, Dorsu, which tries to steer shoppers away from fast fashion with a limited range of year-round style classics and travel luggage manufacturer, Pactics.
EuroCham says it “envisions a new era of Cambodian trade promotion, by offering real business solutions to local companies with special products, such as niche agricultural produce, sustainable textiles and home accessories.”
“Many of these companies already stand out due to their social commitments, care for the environment and vision for a better way to do business,” EuroCham said. The virtual exhibition booths remain open to the public until tonight.
Soure: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50887126/local-companies-see-success-in-quest-to-sell-wares-at-european-trade-fairs/