At a glance. The case reports 74 orders and €345,608 in order value from four international buyers over 12 months. The earlier 11-meeting pilot is a separate 90-day measure.
The client: Italian fresh-produce exports
Profood exports fresh fruit and vegetables, with a focus on table grapes alongside a seasonal assortment. The commercial proposition centred on Italian origin, supply continuity and the ability to work with professional buyers.
The brief was to open international relationships without first building an internal export sales team. The relevant audience included importers, distributors, buyers, category managers and company decision-makers already active in fresh produce.
Build a relevant buyer database
Research combined industry directories, import databases and professional sources, including Zipmec, Best Food Importers and LinkedIn. The aim was to find a relevant decision-maker for each target company and understand the fit with its assortment.
The Netherlands and Poland served as pilot markets before expansion into other European markets and the Middle East. The sequence allowed feedback on the offer and follow-up before increasing the scope.
Coordinate outreach with the season and the event calendar
- Use email as a principal introduction channel, with other channels coordinated where appropriate.
- Adapt the message to the company, country, product and season.
- Discuss practical buyer issues such as quality continuity, logistics and supply timing.
- Keep a record of each buyer conversation and the next action.
- Prepare trade-fair meetings before the event rather than rely only on stand traffic.
The source describes support around trade fairs including Fruit Attraction. The purpose was to turn relevant research and introductions into substantive buyer meetings.
Keep the early pilot separate from the longer sales period
The initial 90-day account reports 11 confirmed meetings with international buyers. The later sales account covers 12 months and reports 74 orders from four customers. These figures describe different timeframes and outcomes.
In fresh produce, timing, availability, specifications and reliable fulfilment remain part of whether a conversation becomes a repeat order. Outreach alone does not explain the whole commercial outcome.
Orders reported over 12 months
| Buyer | Orders | Order value |
|---|---|---|
| TROFI | 58 | €311,400 |
| Michal Šimek s.r.o. | 9 | €18,640 |
| Mifsud Gaetano Ltd | 4 | €9,330 |
| LTD A Fruits | 3 | €6,238 |
| Total | 74 | €345,608 |
The source describes recurring orders, particularly from TROFI. The total is order value reported for this engagement, rather than a pipeline estimate or a general lead-generation benchmark.
The buyer concentration is also visible: TROFI accounts for a large proportion of the reported volume. Future planning should consider the depth of those relationships alongside the development of additional buyers.
The next commercial decisions
Use the response and order history to prioritise relevant buyers, plan activity before the product season and support repeat purchasing. Expanding the list is useful only when the supply and sales process can support the resulting conversations.
The practical lesson is continuity from research to meeting, order and reorder, with a person responsible at each step. The reported result is specific to Profood and the stated period.
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