Call for Organic Sector Companies to Participate in a Business Tour to the Netherlands

Date: May 20–24, 2025
Duration: 5 days
Format: Business tour
Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Organizers: Ukrainian Berries Association, the State Institution “Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office”, and the Organic Initiative Public Union

The Ukrainian Berries Association, together with the State Institution “Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office” (EEPO, Ukraine) and the Organic Initiative Public Union, invites Ukrainian organic fruit and berry processors to participate in a business tour to the Netherlands.

Purpose of the trip:

• To familiarize participants with modern approaches to building efficient organic berry supply chains, using the experience of leading Dutch companies;
• To explore opportunities for expanding exports and establishing new business contacts.

The business tour program includes:

• Visiting the 2025 World of Private Label International Trade Show (PLMA) in Amsterdam;
• Business meetings and visits to:
• a berry cooperative;
• a berry processing company;
• an importing company;
• a retail chain;
• a business association.

Before the trip, participants will attend preparatory training sessions covering:

• Preparation for participating in the exhibition;
• Conducting business negotiations with Dutch companies.

Participation conditions:

• For representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises** (SMEs (up to 250 employees), the costs of accommodation, local logistics (logistic in Amsterdam), meals, and exhibition entry tickets will be covered by the UNIDO and QFTP programmes.
• Participants must cover their own travel expenses to/from Amsterdam (airfare, train tickets), daily allowances, and medical insurance, other costs related to the business trip (if necessary).

Eligibility criteria for companies wishing to participate:

• Preference will be given to the companies that produce organic higher value added products*
• At least two years of experience operating in the organic market;
• Registration in Ukraine (preference will be given to companies where at least 50% ownership belongs to Ukrainian citizens or legal entities registered in Ukraine);
• Possession of a valid certificate confirming compliance with international standards for organic production and/or trade (products must be certified as "organic");
• Availability of a website and promotional materials in English;
• No legal or financial ties with the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus.

If you are interested to participate or have any questions, please contact:

Liubov Bilobrukh, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The business tour is organised by the Ukrainian Berries Association, the State Institution “Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office” (EEPO, Ukraine), and the Organic Initiative Public Union with the support of Switzerland within the framework of three programmes:

• Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO)implemented by Swisscontact,
• Global Quality and Standards Programme Ukraine (Phase II) implemented by UNIDO (specialized agency of the United Nations),
• Swiss-Ukrainian Programme “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP) implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland).

*Higher value added products - agricultural produce that comprise an overall high(er) value, due to the involvement of (a) more labor in its production process (i.e. ‘value crops’, ‘following higher/ stricter production standards’) and/or (b) processing (i.e. ‘semi-finished’ or ‘ready to eat products’), and/or (c) marketing activities (i.e. ‘branding, ‘price policy’, ‘direct supply to consumers’, etc.’).

**Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) definition: