Vinnytsia Manufacturers Are Preparing to Participate in International Fair in France

On August 2, Vinnytsia producers and craftsmen, representatives of Vinnytsia City Council and regional authorities met with Tetiana Yablonska, the Coordinator of the Ukrainian pavilion at the International Gastronomic Fair in Dijon.

From October 30 to November 11, the French city of Dijon will host the annual International Gastronomic Fair Foire Dijon, which brings together visitors from all over Burgundy region - Franche-Comté and its surroundings. This year's event will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Fair. In fact, the event will be widely covered in the media.

The Fair will include a variety of attractions, including a food-court, culinary competitions, workshops, round tables, shows and more. Separate halls of the festival pavilion are reserved for participants from other countries who represent the gastronomic heritage of their homeland. This year, along with Italy, India, Canada and Ireland, as well as Ukraine will be among the guests. Vinnytsia has been establishing systematic cooperation with Dijon since 2019.

“We have the opportunity to declare Ukraine as an attractive ethno-gastronomic country, to present our local and regional products that are competitive with European counterparts. I am sure that Vinnytsia entrepreneurs, producers and craftsmen have something to surprise demanding Frenchmen. It is our organic products, including legendary Vinnytsia delicacies and gastronomic brands, as well as wonderful ethnic products. Vinnytsia City Council and personally the Mayor are ready to support in presenting our community as a promising business partner, a reliable supplier of products and an interesting tourist destination. We see how the French interest in Vinnytsia is intensifying with the revival of cooperation with Dijon. It is very important for us in building international cooperation”, the Deputy Mayor Andrii Ocheretnyi said.

Burgundy is one of the largest administrative regions in France. Unlike Paris, there are more opportunities to express yourself faster, to draw attention to the product, your own brand, your social and cultural activities, and to find potential partners than in the multimillion international capital. Burgundians are patriots of their own gastronomic culture, which is included in the list of UNESCO intangible heritage. At the same time, they like to discover other tastes and impressions.

Tatiana Desoche, a representative of the Foire Dijon Gastronomic Fair, was in direct contact with the meeting participants. She assured that the presence of Vinnytsia representative office and local entrepreneurs at the exhibition would be in demand among the visitors of the exhibition. "The French love to taste and see something new. Every year, they look forward to it with great interest. We have never had Ukraine. We’ll be very happy to see the richness of your culture and gastronomy. You can give out tastes and sell here, because people are interested in it. If Dijon people like something once, then they always buy it.”

During the meeting, Vinnytsia entrepreneurs, including craftmen and gastro producers, as well as representatives of large technological facilities, met with the co-founder of the Ukrainian Organic Cluster Tetiana Yablonska. She took the initiative to create the first Ukrainian pavilion at a large-scale event in one of the gastronomic capitals of France.

“Participation in the exhibition is an opportunity to learn more about the culture of production, promotion of your brand and integration into clusters, which greatly helps entrepreneurs to develop their business and like-minded people. Thanks to this, they are successfully moving into foreign markets. At the same time, the exhibition is an opportunity to get on the pages of all their media for free. Even if someone does not visit the fair, this person will see information about us in the media and be interested, because they learn that Ukraine is represented quite strongly and there is not only raw materials, but also the latest technology”, Tetiana Yablonska says.

Tetiana Yablonska presented the concept of the Ukrainian stand and the presentation of Vinnytsia region. Therefore, the participants asked questions and discussed the details of joining the exhibition and presenting at it. It will be a great opportunity to present Ukrainian food, industrial goods and culture. It is a chance to learn the tastes of the French and successfully enter the foreign market.