Healthy, Organic Ph Food Products Have Niche Market in Russia, Says Importer

Left photo: Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos D. Sorreta elaborates on the benefits and increasing popularity of organic coconut sugar as a substitute sweetener in beverages and even for baked goods to Kvadrat’s Moscow Director, Mr. Pavel Kravtsov. Top right photo: Mr. Kravtsov presents a brochure to Ambassador Sorreta about Kvadrat’s “Filipino Sun” products which are their line of dried fruit healthy snackfoods sourced from the Philippines, while Embassy interpreter Ms. Polina Vargasova translates for Mr. Kravtsov. Bottom right: Ambassador Sorreta presented Mr. Kravtsov with a variety of organic and healthy food products from the Philippines. Photos by S. Pamocol

22 August 2017 MOSCOW — Philippine Ambassador to Russia Carlos D. Sorreta visited the Moscow offices of Kvadrat on August 15 to meet with Mr. Pavel Kravtsov, director of the company’s Moscow division to promote a greater variety of Philippine products to Russian importers in line with the Philippine and Russian governments’ strong and mutual interest to forge deeper economic ties. 

Ambassador Sorreta presented other Philippine products such as organic coconut sugar, muscovado sugar, herbal teas, pili nut snacks, and banana chips which can be highly attractive to Russians with an active, health-conscious lifestyle. Mr. Kravtkov says that this is a developing segment of the Russian market, especially in metropolitan Moscow, a city of over 10 million where consumers with more diverse tastes also have a growing preference for tropical fruit products especially during the winter season.

According to him, the Russian consumer that Kvadrat targets is very particular as well on the branding and packaging of the snack foods, on top of the high quality of the product itself. The Kvadrat executive expressed great interest in being introduced to Philippine exporters of healthy and organic food and ingredient products which are ready to venture into the Russian market.

Kvadrat is a trading company headquartered in the Russian Far East with a distribution network spanning the whole Russian Federation. One of their trademark brands, “Filipino Sun,” features dried tropical fruits from a Philippine exporter and present to the specific niche market of 28-40 year-old Russians which have high purchasing power and a strong interest in healthy and organic food. The “Filipino Sun’s” dried ripe mango, dried green mango, and dried guyabano snacks, are their best-sellers.

For more information, visit www.moscowpe.dfa.gov.ph. END