IDEAL FOODS 80% EXPORT SALES
TREGOTHNAN SELLING TEA TO CHINA
EXPORT CO R N I S H P R O D U C T S A R E E X P O R T E D AC R O S S T H E W O R L D. deal Foods is a family run, international seafood trade and export company, based in Liskeard. The company exports fish, shellfish and fish-by-products to customers in more than 40 countries around the world, specifically in the Far East, Europe and the USA. Over the past 13 years, Ideal Foods has seen consistent year-on-year growth and despite the challenges of Covid-19 and Brexit has achieved another record turnover of £15.9 million for the last financial year. This equates to 14,670 tonnes of fish of which 80% has been sold overseas. Sustainability is at the very heart of Ideal Foods core values and the company strives to ensure that no parts of the fish go to waste. Fish heads and other fish by-products are exported to Asia, supplying the large retailers in Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. The frames, bellies and offcuts are exported to the Ukraine, Poland and Latvia to name but a few. The safest part of the fish, Ideal Foods supplies to Europe’s largest baby food manufacturers and the company has become a long-standing and trusted supplier of fish that meets some of the strictest food safety specifications, in this highly regulated industry. Three years ago, Ideal Foods launched its own pet food brand, Purely Fish with a range of 100% natural treats, canned wet food, toppers and raw food for cats and dogs, all made from fish. This provides a market for any parts of the fish that are not suitable for humans.
44 | FIND THE BALANCE
Other Cornish companies making big impressions overseas include Newquay-based fashion brand, Celtic & Co. The ethically-sourced clothing company has enjoyed particular success with export sales in recent years, winning the Queen’s Award for Export in 2018 and again in 2020. Latest annual sales figures of £16 million were fuelled by an 82% lift in international business, which now accounts for a third of Celtic’s turnover. It sells its products to more than 100 countries worldwide, with designated websites for America, Australia, Germany, and most recently, Japan. “Our strategy is to focus on a wide range of markets and opportunities to ensure we are not over reliant on one market or territory,” says co-founder Nick Whitworth. “A key part of this strategy is international growth. We will be targeting a further 20% increase in net sales and increased profitability in 2021.” And if you can sell tea to China, you must clearly be doing something right. For that is exactly what Cornish tea grower Tregothnan does. China is unlikely to ever be Tregothnan’s biggest overseas customer – that’s the USA – but it certainly grabs the headlines. “China is never going to be a big market,” says MD of trading, Jonathon Jones OBE, “but it’s nice when we get Chinese tea companies asking us to produce tea for them under licence. It makes us realise that they take us seriously.”
