Cologne: The South African companies participating in the Anuga Food and Beverage Trade Fair in Germany are confident that they will not only fly the country’s flag high but also return home with good trade leads and deals to enable them to export their products to Europe. The participation of South African exhibitors at Anuga 2025, which kicks off in Cologne from 4 to 8 October 2025, was made possible by the support provided by Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic).
According to South African Government News Agency, the initiative forms part of the department’s market diversification strategy, aimed at assisting local manufacturers establish markets in various parts of the world, in order to stimulate export-led industrialisation. Zazi Productions Managing Director, Thobeka Ndabula, said she is looking forward to exposing her products to international importers that are expected to descend on the popular trade fair. Zazi is based in Johannesburg where they are manufacturing 100% ready-to-drink juice and dried fruits.
‘We are confident that we will return home with several trade leads and at least one or two concrete trade deals that will result in us making a breakthrough into the export market. We are ready to produce products for an export market after expanding our business and installing the necessary production facilities,’ Ndabula said.
Kaukou Managing Director, Theo Adams, whose company produces honeybush tea in the Western Cape’s Garden Route, said Anuga provides an opportunity for his company to increase its international client base. ‘We are looking forward to increasing our export sales by securing new clients for our products. We are currently exporting to Europe on a limited scale, and we plan to make use our participation here in Anuga to expand our footprint and penetrate Europe and other markets,’ Adams said.
Bloemfontein-based Buttercup Farmhouse Chief Executive Officer, Chantelle De Bruyn-Motshabi also expressed excitement about the prospects of entering an export market. ‘We are delighted for the opportunity presented to us by the dtic to showcase our unique, niche coffee product made from vegetables. We are looking forward to establishing niche contacts and open to building long-term relationships in the retail sector with international buyers and importers,’ De Bruyn-Motshabi said.
Anuga is a biennial event that is regarded as the world’s largest and most important food and beverage fair. It attracts distributors, retailers, importers, and wholesalers of food and beverages from all continents. In the 36th edition of Anuga in 2023, more than 7,900 companies from 118 countries exhibited, and more than 140,000 trade visitors from 200 countries flocked to the event.