Assessing opportunities in Portugal: Insights for Finnish Food Exporters
Juliao, Beatriz (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025060921629
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025060921629
Tiivistelmä
The Finnish food industry has been growing consistently, as a result of companies’ efforts and focus on research and innovation. However, Finland is currently the worst food exporter among the Nordics and the EU member states. Since the domestic consumption in Finland is not increasing, the future opportunities for growth in the food industry have revealed to be limited. Esa Wrang, the director of the Food From Finland program, has therefore emphasized that boosting the exports of foods and drinks present a great opportunity for the Finnish food sector to increase its resilience and profitability.
This thesis aims at uncovering valuable insights for Finnish food and beverage companies who could be interested in expanding to the Portuguese market, particularly through exporting. The author chose to focus on accessing the criteria considered by Portuguese distributors when purchasing food products from foreign suppliers. Moreover, preferences of the Portuguese consumers, as well as global trends, were evaluated. The research method used was qualitative research. More specifically, semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of large-scale food distributors in Portugal, as well as end-consumers for foods.
There is a great chance to leverage Finland’s exceptional quality and sustainability reputation in entering the Portuguese market. The results showed a convergence between Portuguese consumer trends and possibilities for Finnish foods. However, in despite of new trends, price has revealed to be the most influential factor in the food purchasing behaviour of Portuguese customers. As a result, the biggest obstacle for Finnish food and beverage companies in entering the Portuguese market, will not be selling the “Finnish sustainable brand” but finding competitive prices in the market.
This thesis aims at uncovering valuable insights for Finnish food and beverage companies who could be interested in expanding to the Portuguese market, particularly through exporting. The author chose to focus on accessing the criteria considered by Portuguese distributors when purchasing food products from foreign suppliers. Moreover, preferences of the Portuguese consumers, as well as global trends, were evaluated. The research method used was qualitative research. More specifically, semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives of large-scale food distributors in Portugal, as well as end-consumers for foods.
There is a great chance to leverage Finland’s exceptional quality and sustainability reputation in entering the Portuguese market. The results showed a convergence between Portuguese consumer trends and possibilities for Finnish foods. However, in despite of new trends, price has revealed to be the most influential factor in the food purchasing behaviour of Portuguese customers. As a result, the biggest obstacle for Finnish food and beverage companies in entering the Portuguese market, will not be selling the “Finnish sustainable brand” but finding competitive prices in the market.