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Pulsin has secured a lucrative deal in Germany that will see its products sold in an additional 1,500 German stores in the next year.
Gloucester-based healthy food brand Pulsin, founded in 2007, makes a range of healthy snacks and protein powders to support weight loss, muscle strength and wellness. The company currently exports to 30 countries, including Japan, Sweden and the Netherlands, and is now encouraging other food and drink companies across the South West to boost their business by exporting.
Pulsin began exporting in 2010 with the support of advisers from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for International Trade (DIT), who helped the business identify new markets and attend trade shows in Sweden and Ireland.
Exporting currently accounts for 25% of the company’s overall sales and its latest international deal will see the brand increase its supply of a range of natural products through its German distributor to over 1,500 stores in the next 12 months. The “beond” brand that Pulsin makes is already distributed in over 1,000 organic stores in Germany.
Defra and DIT are supporting businesses to take the leap and sell their food and drink products abroad. The Food is GREAT campaign is a cross-departmental initiative to showcase the appeal of UK food and drink products overseas and to help firms build new exporting relationships.
Nick Bildner, co-founder of Pulsin, said:
“We’ve been exporting for almost eight years now. One of the big turning points for us was getting in touch with trade advisers from DIT, who supported us with funding to redesign our e-commerce site to make it easier for international customers to enquire about and buy our products.
“The new contract in Germany is the latest in a line of international successes for us in countries like the Netherlands, Japan and Finland. But exporting is rarely straight forward. One of the main things we needed to consider was the legal and tax landscape for countries outside of the EU. We also needed to reformulate a few of our key products to extend shelf life to ensure they arrived in overseas countries with the same level of quality as if they were in the UK.
“One of the main steps we took during our exporting venture was sourcing expert advice from organisations like DIT. The trade advisers helped us overcome these challenges and provided information about new markets. Our trade advisers are currently working on a review of the Indian market for us to consider as a potential new venture. If we can do it, so can many other local firms.”
Paul Shand, DIT’s Head of the South West, said:
“The benefits of tapping into international markets are endless – firms that do are usually more profitable, successful and resilient. We’re encouraging food and drink producers to harness the growing demand for British products.
“For many food and drink producers that sell their products online, it can be easy to simply react to enquiries and interest from overseas customers. However, fully researching the market and formulating a specific and proactive exporting business plan can be much more beneficial, as Pulsin has shown with its recent successes.
“That’s why we have a team of International Trade Advisers in the South West to provide guidance and support during the entire exporting process. They’re available to firms looking to export for the first time, or increase their international footprint.”