Italian marketing firm LC international helps Italian organic companies and SMEs promote their products in emerging markets. Iride Ciaccia, project manager, LC International, shares the company’s plans for the Indian market, including its ORGANICITY project.

◊ By Devaki Bhooshan

Tell us about LC International and the services it provides to its clients. Can Indian firms looking for a vestibule into the EU market approach LC International to represent them?

LC International provides effective tools to entrepreneurs for developing projects aimed at internationalising SMEs, supporting their integration, expansion and consolidation, or even the creation of their holding structures in foreign markets such as India, Brazil, China and USA. Thanks to our offices in USA, China and Croatia, we can assist them in the export process, facilitate all their import operations and help them in product marketing. Usually we work with Italian SMEs, as our expertise is focused on our market and European Union regulations, and we also help Italian brands get into their targeted markets. But we will not exclude a mutual collaboration with Indian firms in the future.

“LC International seeks international collaborations to help Italian SMEs expand their markets. We would like to establish in India an open and well organised channel to insert all our organic products in the region. We will exhibit a wide range of organic products at Biofach India this year, including organic pasta, tomato sauces, olive oil, wine and coffee.”

What is the range of products that you generally promote for your clients?

LC International mostly deals with organic processed food and wine and high quality foods made in Italy, which is part of the luxury-excellence tradition of Italian food. Our organic food—such as pasta, tomato sauces, olive oil, vinegar, chocolate and baby food—is also part of the famous Mediterranean diet.

Tell us about your ‘ORGANICITY’ project and its relation to the Indian market.

Among our projects for the internationalisation of Italian SMEs there is ‘ORGANICITY’, a project co-funded by the European Union and the Italian government to create awareness about European organic product quality, health and environmental benefits, EU production regulations and its mark-guaranteeing labels through promotional activities abroad at international fairs such as Biofach India.

Bioagricoop is our partner in the execution of the ORGANICITY project; they are a non-profit organisation born in 1984 as a cooperative to contribute to the promotion and development of organic farming and sustainable development. ORGANICITY-targeted markets are India, Brazil and South East Asia.

What do you seek in your India partners? Will there be more India partnerships?

We seek trustworthy and professional companies, which usually deal with organics. They should be extremely organised and well connected in the Indian market. Since we work for many companies in Italy and the range of products we deal with is extensive, a new India partnership is welcome so we can satisfy all our Italian customers’ demands.

Which other products will you launch in India in the future?

We are starting with organic foods, which are more premium quality and very appreciated in India. We would also like to introduce DOC, DOP and IGT Italian wines, as well as, organic ones, such as Superbio wines from Vinicola Decordi.

What is your assessment of the India organic sector today?

The Indian organic market is growing very fast and the food and agribusiness sector is one of the key areas where India could be globally competitive. However, there are some critical issues such as high duties on incoming products and the fragmentation of internal distribution. India needs a big push towards modernisation of infrastructure and significant reforms to allow foreign operators to access business opportunities easily. Indian organic food has great quality but the Indian certification standards are not altogether in line with European ones.

In our assessment, the organic food product categories Indian people like most are spices, honey and vegetables and they are starting to appreciate some of the typical Mediterranean diet products as well, like pasta, olive oil, tomato sauces and wine, which are considered novelties in the market.

Will we see you at BIOFACH INDIA in November 2016?

Yes, we will participate together with Bioagricoop to promote our ORGANICITY project. We will exhibit a wide range of organic products such as pasta, tomato sauces, olive oil, wine and coffee.

Share with us your plans for the Indian market within the next 5 years.

LC International is constantly seeking international collaborations to help Italian SMEs expand their markets abroad. We would like to establish in India an open and well organised channel to insert all our organic products in the region. And if the distribution of our organic products increases significantly, we may consider establishing an India branch, which is what we hope and expect to happen eventually.

This interview was published in the October 2016 issue of Pure & Eco India.