Ukrainian products on the shelves of French chains, is it possible?

Since mid-2022, Ukrainian brand products have become more and more common in European stores. So, as Ukrainians, it became interesting to me: In which shops is it possible to buy Ukrainian products, are the French networks ready to sell and promote Ukrainian producers, and will the French buy "made in Ukraine"?

Brave pioneers

Ukrainian products can already be purchased in stores in Denmark, Italy, Estonia, Poland and Georgia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said in a statement. As a rule, they are marked with special stickers, and in some chains, Ukrainian-made goods are sold on branded shelves in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

The network announced the appearance of goods from Ukraine in advance through thematic promotions. Usually, store shelves delight customers with nuts, honey, snacks, canned goods, meat products with a long shelf life, groceries and a variety of sweets. All products comply with EU and US regulations.

Thus, back in August 2022, the Independence Day of Ukraine started with four shares in three countries. In Italy, the first decided to sell Ukrainian in the network Mix Markt under the slogan "Best Ukrainian Brands for Independence Day of Ukraine."

Poland carried out the promotion of "Days of Ukrainian cuisine" in Carrefour Polska. Oat flakes, portioned cereals and granola under the Dobrodiya, WOWOATS and San Grano brands are the first products that were presented on Ukrainian shelves.

*Agricom Group is a Ukrainian agro-industrial group that specializes in the development, production and distribution of food products from grain crops on its own production base and unites agricultural, processing and trading enterprises. The leader in the Ukrainian market for the cultivation of gluten-free oats and the production of its processing products under the Dobrodia, San Grano, VOVSYANKA, and San Granola brands.

Estonia also held two campaigns "Buy Ukrainian goods. Support Ukraine" in the RIMI and MAXIMA networks. In Georgia, the Ukrainian manufacturer was supported in 12 chains: Carrefour, Spar, Nikora and others... Ukrainian goods were marked with special stickers that attract additional attention of consumers.

A presentation of Ukrainian wine, 100 thousand bottles, took place in the Danish SOOR network. "Good price - good taste!" - these are the words used by the Coop Danmark network to represent Ukrainian products in Denmark. According to preliminary data, Denmark plans to expand the range of Ukrainian goods on the market significantly.

From now on, Ukrainian mayonnaise, sauces, and other products from the trademark "Shchedro” brand can be purchased in supermarkets in Sweden.

The geography of the presence and assortment of Ukrainian goods is constantly expanding. According to Dmytro Kuleba, every Ukrainian exporting company can get new opportunities to enter world markets with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. "Ukrainian diplomats are waiting for requests from Ukrainian businesses through the NAZOVNI digital platform and are ready to help as much as possible," Kuleba noted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The NAZOVNI

* The NAZOVNI international platform is a Ukrainian business globalization service created to promote goods and services abroad with the assistance of Ukrainian diplomatic institutions.

What products can be interesting the French market?

According to the results of 2022, the export of goods from Ukraine to EU countries increased by 4.2% compared to the previous year and amounted to about 28 billion dollars, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine reports.

The growth of exports to the EU became possible thanks to the EU initiative "Ways of solidarity”, the opening of European markets for Ukrainian goods, including the introduction of temporary economic, customs and "transport visa-free", etc.

In this context, it should be noted that in 2022 the structure of exports also changed: the volumes of agricultural products and food products are increasing. Among the positive trends, it is possible to note an increase in the volume of exports of Ukrainian-made goods that have a significant added value. For the first time this year, Ukraine exported more flour, confectionery and dairy products. However, Ukraine remains mainly a supplier of such raw materials as sunflower oil, corn, rapeseed, wheat, etc.

Among the EU countries, Ukraine exported the most to Poland, Romania, Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands. Work with France is developing, but it is mainly done through the supply of raw materials, such as honey, fruit, berries and oil.

If we talk about products with added value that can be exported to France, experts consider organic products to be the most promising. There are trends that are followed in France, these are organic and gluten-free products. That is, for products with high added value, which provide greater profit and benefit for consumers.

The 2022 results show that Ukraine exported 13% more organic products to the EU and Switzerland than in 2021 , reports Organic Standard, an international certification body for organic products (Ukraine). It is noted that the annual export to the EU and Switzerland amounted to more than 225,000 tons of organic products. While in 2021, Ukraine exported aslightly more than 200,000 tons.

- Ukraine has long claimed to be one of the main suppliers of organic products in the EU (still in the top 5 for the last 5 years). But mainly raw materials, so it is already ready to gradually reach another level, in particular processed products. I believe that organic snacks and semi-finished products from Ukraine are very promising, in particular, fruit paste, freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, including

* "Organic Standart" LLC is an international organization and the first Ukrainian certification organization that carries out inspection and certification of organic production.

The discerning French consumer

The French consumer is really picky about both the quality and the taste of the products he consumes. Moreover, the French are quite patriotic in their choices and, as a rule, choose products of French production, this applies primarily to food products.

So, we asked some French people in a blitz interview: "will they buy Ukrainian goods and for what reason: to support a country in trouble or because of the quality of the products"

Mélis ROYER, International Academic Coordinator of ECEMA Business School, Lyon:

- Of course, I am interested in buying Ukrainian goods, first of all to support Ukraine, as well as for my own interests. I am a big consumer of bio and organic food… If Ukrainian organic products were available to me in France, I would be happy to buy them.

- I tried Ukrainian products only once and I would buy Ukrainian products. However, unfortunately, I hardly know Ukrainian goods and brands, - said Annie MASS-BURNOD, a pensioner.

Celine Gissinger from the Rhône-Alpes region, a nurse in the past also noted that she was misinformed informed about Ukrainian products, she agreed that she would definitely try them:

- Yes, I would buy Ukrainian products first of all to support the economy of Ukraine, and also because I heard that these are high quality products.

Currently, Ukrainian goods have the potential to get on French shelves, but since Ukraine as a manufacturer is almost unknown to the European consumer. Ukrainian companies need to work a lot on the information directly and be ready to invest seriously in the promotion.

The picture is quite bright and promising for Ukrainian manufacturers interested in exporting their products. However, whether French networks are ready to risk and put Ukrainian goods on the shelves of their stores. We will learn about this in the following article.