InteliFresh 2018

Finding the right partner is not less important than having high quality production. It is often even harder to achieve. For the first time in Bulgaria, InteliFresh will gather at one place representatives of the retail chains, international wholesalers of fresh fruit and vegetables, leaders in cold transportation, insurance, logistics and export management, economists, bankers and farmers with successful experience. With one goal - fruit and vegetable producers to have the opportunity to find the right partners for their business and profit growth.

InteliFresh - the first specialized forum for fruit and vegetable, will take place on 16th of January 2018 at Park Hotel Stara Zagora. For more details, registration and fee payment, please write us at office@inteliagro.bg or call +359 899 911 597.

If you are interested in supporting InteliFresh or booking a company b2b table, do not hesitate to contact us.

InteliFresh - all the key players throughout the supply chain will be there. Join us!

InteliFresh - The first international professional forum, dedicated to fruit and vegetable production and sales in Bulgaria, organized by InteliAgro, gave start to the agricultural calendar on 16th of January in Stara Zagora. The high interest from F&V producers ha shown their strive to pay much larger attention to the market trends and access to consumers. At least for a few hours the public debate was shifted from the government and subsidy role to how farmers to be more innovative, to produce in more clever and efficient way and ultimately how to be more competitive. The active participation from the retail chains proved they also need good and reliable domestic fresh produce suppliers. Foreign wholesalers also declared their interest on the growing potential of the Bulgarian F&V sector. Closing gaps in positions between production and trade and creating long term partnerships along the whole supply chain was exactly the main goal of InteliFresh

Participants

200 guests became part of InteliFresh 2018 - farmers, representatives of almost all retail market chains in the country, foreign wholesalers and suppliers in F&V production. InteliFresh was attended by representatives of the Danube Fruit Growing Union, the Bulgarian Association for Organic Products and the Bulgarian Association of Greenhouse Production. A total of 12 presentations (in three different panels) were held and guests had the opportunity to arrange b2b meetings with InteliFresh partners. 

Traders

Foreign wholesalers attracted exceptionally high interest during InteliFresh. Amela Omerovich - quality manager at Olympic Fruit, presented the contracting requirements of the company. Olympic Fruit is among the largest fresh produce traders in the Netherlands. During the event, it declared interest in buying Bulgarian cherries and other fruit. Another international distributor, presented at InteliFresh 2018 was More Bio Commerce from Romania. Its manager - Ilias Papageorgiadis presented plenty of insights on the Romanian market, which could be highly useful for farmers willing to export their produce to our northern neighbors. The company is one of the largest distributor of organic produce in Romania (including for the big retail chains in the country). Due to its expansion strategy and increasing sales (including conventional produce also), More Bio is seeking to add Bulgarian suppliers to its portfolio.  

During the event, Georgi Garnevski - "Fruit and vegetable" project manager at Metro Cash & Carry presented the company policy and requirements for fresh produce. Lidl, Billa, T-Market, Fantastico and other smaller domestic wholesalers use InteliFresh to establish contacts with reliable F&V producers.

Road to success

The guests' attention was focused on the interesting presentation by Mr. Ivan Ivanov (Agrotime), who shared his success story in agriculture - for challenges and rewards, for traps and helping hands, for dreams and reality. The young agri businessman grows cherries on 80 ha nearby Isperih town and export to the UK and other premium markets.

Branko Bayatovich from Bluemond Farms shared with the audience his successful cooperative business model in blueberry production in Serbia. Farmers there has found their way together to profitable export to the UK.

The role of the financial sector

Mr. Milen Vlaev from DSK Agro (part of OTP Group) - the general sponsor of InteliFresh, presented the financial products and services DSK Bank offers at each stage of the fruit and vegetable supply chain - from land purchasing and orchard establishment, through investment financing for new technologies and equipment and also sales and export financial instruments.

Mr. Georgi Popovyanski from NetIns Insurance Brokers discussed the risk management insurance instruments for the highly weather susceptible fruit and vegetable production as well as insurance products in transportation, logistics and trade risk. 

Reliable partnerships along the supply chain

InteliFresh guests had the opportunity to meet also other potential partners throughout the supply chain: Viki V.B. (cold transportation); Inch-Frigo (refrigerated equipment); Ekodarpol Balkans (organic fertilizers); Panamin (organic mineral mix); Opticom (machinery and equipment); Kubota (machinery and equipment); Novita Prim (machinery, service, irrigation systems); BASF (plant protection) и Agrocenter Plovdiv (seeds, fertilizers, plant protection).

InteliAgro would like to thank all participants and sponsors for the large interest, support, positive reviews and recommendations! Our future goal is to make InteliFresh even better and more valuable partner on the road to secedes in fruit and vegetable production.    

9.00 - 9.30: Registration

9.30 – 9.35: Official opening

Panel 1: Global markets and export

9.35 – 09.50: Premium fruit and vegetable markets - where, what, how? - Mr. Nikolay Valkanov (InteliAgro)

9.50 – 10.10: How to export - market demand and fresh produce requirements - Ms. Amela Omerovich (Olympic Fruit Group, the Netherlands)

10.10 – 10.30: Producers' organization and EU export - experience from Serbia - Mr. Branko Bayatovich (Bluemond Farms, Serbia)

10.30 – 10.50: Organic produce sales and cooperation between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania - Mr. Ilias Papageorgiadis (MORE Bio Commerce, Romania)

11.00 – 11.35: Coffee break and informal business meetings

Panel 2: How to succeed in Bulgaria and abroad

11.35 – 11.50: Successful agribusiness: How? - Mr. Ivan Ivanov (Agrotime)

11.50 – 12.05: "Grown with care in Bulgaria" - a successful model of partnership between local producers and traders - Mr. Georgi Garnevski (METRO Cash&Carry)

12.05 – 12.15: Cold transportation - organization of logistics - Mr. Viktor Bogdanov (Viki - V.B.)

12.15 – 12.30: Insurance in agriculture: challenges and solutions - Mr. Georgi Popovyanski (NetIns Brokers)

12.30 – 12.50 ч: Financing solutions in agriculture and trade - Mr. Milen Vlaev (DSK Bank)

12.50 – 14.00: Lunch

Panel 3: Reliable partners in production

14.00 – 14.10: High quality fertilizers for successful farming - Mr. Borislav Rangelov (Ekodarpol Balkans)

14.10 – 14.20: Bio Turbo – the most advanced system for extended storage of fruit and vegetables - Mr. Nikolay Chalakov (Inch Frigo)

14.20 – 14.30: 100% organic mineral mix for leaf fertilization (Panamin Agro)

14.30 – 16.30 b2b meetings