InFAcTo-project E-newsletter N o. 1 2 9 t h o f N ov e m b e r, 2 0 1 1
Wha t is InFAcTo? INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND ACTIVITY TOURISM (INFACTO) Tourists are increasingly demanding linked & coordinated activities of higher quality not only at local level but also regionally & internationally. Local food linked to active tourism is increasingly popular but demand is for products of high quality with an authentic experience. Few operators can provide all that is demanded in today’s markets thus necessitating linked or complementary products, for micro-business this means working together, cooperation & joint marketing. The range of local food & active tourism products & services (local food, nature, culture, heritage & active tourism) is quite wide in Häme & Estonia but they frequently lack this coherence & complementarity; international linkages (networks) are absent or weak there is little product development activity especially in terms of marketing & promotion for the regional/international tourism markets. The INTERREG IVA Programme places strong emphasis on economic competitiveness and innovation although links between education & entrepreneurs are weak & cross border exchanges require stimulation. Additionally stress is placed on the need for supporting real,
vital cooperation, focusing on solving common problems in co -operation, increasing business start-up, entrepreneurship and co-operation networks. The project aims to raise stakeholder confidence & awareness of the factors behind starting-up and/or diversifying in food & active tourism busin ess. Through network development, training in awareness of customer preferences, market information & increased B2B opportunities, entrepreneurs will be incentivised & encouraged to identify new opportunities thus addressing the clear need for an increased participation and role of small and medium sized enterprises in the Central Baltic Programme economy. Cross-border added value Added value comes from from co-operation in research work and results, entrepreneur, staff and student job placement, new partnerships and ideas for product development, product tests and joint trips. It’s important to understand different nationalities and their habits and get new concepts of working. In this case crossborder food and activity tourism developing together, joint tourist marketing and promotion activities are important. The tourism market for both EE and FI are the same, and added value of working together on joint marketing and promotion activities
will create a greater catchment area. Thinking above also soft values are important; to know each other, building understanding and trust between these regions. Of course we should remember also the economic meaning for each region which comes due to marketing co-operation.
Special points of interest: • The project has last one and a half year • The project has 13 partners • Project has homepage www.infactoproject.eu • Project manager is Tiina Nuureto
Inside this issue: Project partners
2
Change in project partners
3
What has been done so far
4
Estonian FAM-trip to Finland, to Häme
6
Finnish FAM-trip to Estonia, to Saaremaa
7
Estonians and Finnish partners FAM-trip to Scotland
8
Marketing research
9
Project meetings
10
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Project par tners
Lead partner Häme Development Centre Ltd (Development Centre Ltd Häme) Talaskuja 3, 13200 Hämeenlinna, Finland Leena Puumalainen Phone: +358 400 997914 leena.puumalainen@kehittamiskeskus.fi
Kuressaare Regional Training Centre Kohtu 22, 93812 Kuressaare, Estonia Marve Koppel Phone: +372 45 24 605 marve.koppel@ametikool.ee www.ametikool.ee
InFAcTo Project manager Tiina Nuutero Phone: +358 50 44 33 954 tiina.nuutero@kehittamiskeskus.fi www.kehittamiskeskus.fi
Voru County Vocational Training Centre 65566 Väimela, Võru, Estonia Reet Urb Phone: +372 7850822 www.vkhk.ee
HAMK Univeristy of Applied Sciences PL 230, 13101 Hämeenlinna, Finland Merja Helin Phone: +358 3 6466908 merja.helin@hamk.fi www.hamk.fi
Kiipula Foundation / Kiipula Centre for Vocational Education and Rehabilitation Kiipulantie 507,14200 Turenki, Finland Pirjo Alijärvi Phone: +358 3 68521 pirjo.alijarvi@kiipula.fi www.kiipula.fi
Tavastia Vocational College Hattelmalantie 8, 13100 Hämeenlinna, Finland Anssi Kovanen Phone: +358 3 65811 anssi.kovanen@kktavastia.fi www.kktavastia.fi
Imago Ltd Filmi 6, 10152 Tallinn, Estonia Erki Kukk Phone: +372 56 222 998 www.imago.ee
Non-profit Organisation Estonian Rural Tourism Vilmsi 53g, 10147 Tallinn, Estonia Raili Mengel-Sünt Phone: +372 600 9999 eesti@maaturism.ee www.maaturism.ee
Saaremaa Marketing Association Kiratsi kula, 93741 Kaarma vald, Estonia Karen Ann Allas Phone: +37257852811 karenallas253@hotmail.com
Center for Ecological Engineering Tuglase 1-6, 51014 Tartu, Estonia Merit Mikk Phone: +372 7422051 www.ceet.ee
Union of Rural Municipalities of Setomaa Obinitsa, Meremäe vald, 65301 Vöru mk, Eesti Jelena Kikas Phone: +372 56560504 www.setomaa.ee
RG Evans Associates Lille 51-46, 80038 Pärnu, Estonia Roger Evans Phone: +372 53999421 rgevansassociates@googlemail.com
Estonian University of Life Sciences Kreutzwaldi 1, 51014 Tartu, Estonia Kaili Kattai Phone: +372 53 414 001 www.emu.ee
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Changes in project par tners New r epr esenta tive in the VõruCounty Voca tional Training Centr e We have a new representre in VõruCounty Vocational Training Centre. Her name is Reet Urb. Reet is working in Võrumaa Training Vacational Centre as a project coordinator since September. She was born and grown up in Vorumaa, nice and mountainous South Estonia. Later she studied in Tallinn University of Technology speclialisation economy and worked some years in Tallinn City Government. Next work was waiting Reet in Ministry of Finance. There she worked basically with European Regional Development Fund projects and some other funds projects.
Reet loves own work and believes that everyday you learn something and can ship in society if you are doing things what you really enjoy. On free time she likes to play volleyball, ski, gardening and books. Positive energy gives her funny and naughty 6 months old Neapolitan Mastiff puppy Baruto.
Back to the work story then Reet is really happy that life in Estonia has changed so much and interesting projects with smart colleges all around the Europe have a big influence on that. “Keep going Europe together!”
But now she has decided to do own best in South Estonia and coordinate projects there.
New r epr esenta tive in the Union of Rural Municipalities of Setomaa A new project coordinator on behalf of the Union is Ivika Nõgel. Ivika has long experience as a project manager, trainer, moderator and advisor. She holds a diploma in English from Tallinn Pedagogical University where upon she took up development work in the Ministry of Economics and Communications in 1995 where she ran a unit coordinating foreign aid. In 2000 she moved to Otepää to run the South-East Estonia Partnership Programme, initiated and funded by the UK government. She worked to launch partnership boards in Võru, Valga and Põlva counties, which were innovative at the time and still operate today. Experience gained in the process helped to launch the LEADER programme in Estonia. In 2003-2005 Ivika managed several ESF projects in the fields of social issues and employment. She has compiled an international project management manual, led regional strategic processes and participated in conducting a number of studies. She excels at creating networks and keeping them alive. She reckons her mission is the promotion of an inclusive leadership style in Estonia.
Ivika has a lot of friends and colleagues in Setomaa and she holds great respect for the local culture and an ability to work together that local people have.
Ivika Nõgel
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What has been done so far Võru Vocational Training Centre has arranged and run 8 mentored workshops within the InFAcTo project. 25.04.2011 Heritage roats in the Kubija Hotel (trainer Siiri Toomik, mentor Eda Veeroja) The training looked at opportunities for networking, cooperation and crossmarketing. The wide target group included entrepreneurs, service staff of companies in the accommodation, food and retail sectors, petrol stations, banks, post offices, providers of active leisure, tourist guides and people with an interest in such topics. 11.06.2011 Using seasonal weeds in Metsamoori Perepark (trainer Irje Karjus, mentor Luule Lipp) The training aimed to show how to use seasonal plants in food; network-based cooperation and cross-marketing topics were also covered. The target group comprised tourism businesses with an interest in plants in the garden or in the forest, and using them in cooking under expert guidance of experienced chefs. The course facilitates food tourism in the region. 12.06.2011 Garden salads and dressings in Alt-Lauri farm (trainer Kaja Kesküla, mentor Silvi Pihlakas) The training aimed to show how to use seasonal plants in food, and in addition, covered networking, cooperation and cross-marketing topics. The target group was tourism entrepreneurs with a keen interest in plants in the garden or in the forest, and using them in their menus, and practising new skills with help from experienced chefs. The course facilitates and promotes food tourism in the region. 09.07.2011 Homemade fermented drinks in Rogosi Manor (trainers Tiina Kuuler and Anneli Luisk, mentor Eda Veeroja) The course presented methods for making local drinks (home-made wines) and gave ideas on how to use local drinks on menus. The target group was tourism entrepreneurs taking an interest in making artisan-fermented liquors and using such drinks on their menus. The course
facilitates and promotes food tourism in the region. 28.07.2011 Local food emotions in Mooska farm (trainer Eda Veeroja, mentor Luule Lipp) The seminar taught how to smoke meat in a traditional way and explained what is experiential food provision. The target audience were entrepreneurs who wanted to try their hand at smoking meat in a traditional smoke sauna. 26.08.2011 Heritage of dairies and opportunities for product development in Kiidi farm (trainers Aigar Piho and Marju Kõivupuu, mentor Eda Veeroja) This training focused on presenting different ways of making curd cheese (sõir in Estonian) and showing how to use this dish in everyday cooking and in festive menus. 10.09.2011 Seasonal mushrooms at Viitina Nature Education Centre (trainers Toivo Tuberik and Angelika Udeküll, mentor Eda Veeroja) The aim of the training was to extend our knowledge about mushrooms in cooking and learn to know more varieties. An essential part of training was teaching how to distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms, with a specific focus on an excellent edible, Gypsy mushroom (Rozites caperata). Participants could learn from each other and were also trained in network-based cooperation and cross-marketing skills. 01.10.2011 Cabbage in traditional cooking at Alt-Lauri farm (trainer Kaja Kesküla, mentor Reet Urb) The objective of this training day was to exchange experiences in the use of seasonal plants and particularly cabbage. Again, participants learned from each other, and developed their skills in networking, cooperation and crossmarketing. Participants were from local tourism businesses with an interest in local plants and practising cooking under expert guidance with a view to using new ideas in their own menus.
The Centre for Ecological Engineering has conducted two international training seminars within the InFAcTo project. 4-5.05.2011 Marketing of local food together with Võru Vocational Training Centre (at Seedri farm in Võru County) The lecturer in this seminar was Erik Johansen who has promoted sales of food products from the island of Bornholm in Denmark and abroad; he has launched a number of networks and has long experience in consulting businesses. The seminar covered the principles of smooth operation of a network initiated for selling local food, product development, pricing and packaging, consumers´ expectations at local and export markets, and various aspects of marketing and business ethics. On 7-8.04.2011 the training seminar was repeated on the island of Saaremaa, at GO Spa Hotel in cooperation with Kuressaare Regional Training Centre.
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What has been done so far Kuressaare Regional Training Centre has arranged and run 6 workshops and seminars within the InFAcTo project. 8.01.2011 How do you turn Christmas dishes into food experience? (training provider Õile Aavik, teacher of food and catering) The seminar looked at how to turn standard Christmas food into an experience, participants practised the entire process from compiling a menu through to cooking and serving dishes; this approach should enhance their creativity along with planning skills. 18.02.2011 Presentation of produce at fairs and markets – the sales pitch (trainer Sirje Pree) This seminar gave tips and tools to small producers on how to present their products and how to best deliver a sales pitch. 28.03.2011 Package and packaging – environmentally friendly materials, trends, design, quality (trainer Piret
Pihel, head of SEES) This was specifically targeted at small producers and taught how to use appropriate, attractive and environmentally friendly packaging for both food and handicraft products. The questions dealt with covered: What are the features of a trendy, quality and design conscious package? Which shape and materials are suitable? How can advertising best attract attention and be appealing and persuasive? How can we use the Saaremaa brand?
asked to bring their promotional materials and in group work these were analysed and feedback was given. 11.10.2011 Mushroom workshop (trainer Lilian Maastik from Mardi farm) Training topics included issues such as how to offer mushrooming as an attractive activity and carry our creative food tourism activities with the mushrooms picked, how to involve guests and give them positive emotions.
9.05.2011 Image as a sales article – design of the image of products/ production/ company (trainer Merit Karise) The seminar attracted small producers and owners of tourist farms interested in using appropriate advertising channels and means. Issues discussed included – how and where present your company, who to and when, Participants were
Häme Development Centre has arranged trainings in Finland within the InFAcTo project. Häme Development Centre has organised training for Häme region entrepreneurs in co-operation with other Finnish partners based on training needs analyses done in the start-up phase of the project. From these analyses it was clear that the focus of training should be on networking, product development and marketing. Also, the importance of language skills was brought up. Based on this a preliminary training schedule was composed and it is evolving throughout the project duration, thus meeting the needs of the entrepreneurs even better. Several courses have already been organised. Some are one-off and some of them are series of courses, handling one bigger subject in smaller stages.
An English language course has been going on since autumn 2010 and it will continue until the end of the project. It is designed to give entrepreneurs skills and courage to interact with international clients and encourage them to use their existing language skills. Cultural studies is one of the ongoing courses at the moment. HAMK provides expert lecturers speaking on different cultures and how understanding of these should be dealt with in product development, marketing and customer service. Another major topic coming up soon will be networking and actual product development. Mentored workshops are being planned in order to give entrepreneurs hands-on information and experience.
All the courses and workshops have a focus on entrepreneurs´ needs in order to enable them expand their businesses internationally.
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Estonians FAM-trip to Finland, to Häme Estonian entrepreneurs came to visit Häme region and its entrepreneurs in order to create networking between the two countries. Few days were spent visiting many different places and people. The trip started out from Tervaniemi in Tervakoski, where during welcoming coffee the Estonians heard the story of the manor history.They offer cottages and hotel rooms for individuals and also for groups. They facilitate a high standard meeting services as well. The operation as a restaurant started in December 1989. Next stop was a rural accommodation place Villa Göös in Klemola. Entrepreneur Elisa Göös built the place a clear vision of peace and nature in mind. A special feature of this place is its own chapel. The trip continued to Kiipula, where the group enjoyed a dinner and a networking evening with Finnish entrepreneurs and partners. Estonian visitors had brought some tastings which they all shared during the evening while getting to know each others. After the first night, in the morning the group got to see the green houses of Kiipula, where there was a wide selection of vegetables and flowers. Products from the green houses are sold in the shop – Miinan tori on site. The day continued with a visit to Renko and Laulajainen Wild boar farm. Owners Anne and Rami gave a tour of the farm and explained the life with wild boars in a peaceful rural surroundings. The visitor could also buy some products to take home. Another visit in Renko was to Heimon Kala – a fish producer. Sales manager Juha Alanen gave a presentation on their company and products. Heimon Kala Oy is a wellknown and respected fishing company whose products have for more than thirty years been parts of everyday and festive dishes on Finnish dining tables. Heimon Kala has grown into one of the most signifi-
cant Finnish companies in the industry. Nowadays it is part of As Premia Foods that also operates in Sweden and the Baltic region. Next stop was Iittala, where around the glass factory a versatile visitor center has been created. First the group enjoyed a lunch and after that it was time for a presentation at Kultasuklaa- a chocolate producer factory. Tapani Korpi, the owner of Kultasuklaa company gave an intresting presentation about their idea and products. The group could see the actual chocolate making from a glass window in the shop to the factory. Kultasuklaa uses only the best ingredients, and always choose the domestic alternative when there is a chance. For example fresh berries and milk products come to the factory only a short distance away. With courage and creativity we are striving to show that Finnish handicraft is able to compete globally. The group could visit a couple handicraft shops and ceramics designer Markku Mäki from ceramic shop Anubis introduced his just finished at that moment drying world’s largest cockoo whistle made out of clay. And just before leaving they heard a short presentation from Hunaja-Aitta – a honey producer about their company. Laura Nieminen told that the company is based on bee keeping from 1952 and from 1986 they have done a lot of product development. They have pioneered in honey reproducing in Finland. Majority of the production is done in their own bee farms in Häme. The farm consists of nearly 250 hives, where almost 20 millions bees live. Honey production is done as handicraft in small amounts, so that the quality of the products can be quaranteed. Then the group visited Lepaa’s Wine and Garden estate, which is a training and study institute in winemaking and producer of berry and fruit based wines and also serves as a tourism and golfcenter. A wine tasting of the estate’s local products
was organized and the group heard about how these wines were made and got a chance to but some with to take home too. The group also visited in Lepaa manor, which is a conference and banquet venue. The day continued to the last place of the day, Iloranta in Hauho, where the group stayed the night too. Iloranta has been working over 70 years already as a full service rural accommodation venue. All the food is prepared on site from local ingredients. Leena and Mikko, the owners of Iloranta told the group they are expanding their main building creating a new hotel standard wing in summer 2011, which will also introduce meeting and activity facilities. The group got to participate in some games played in the yard where the team working skills where tested. In the evening a sauna by the lake was offered for relaxing.
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Estonians FAM-trip to Finland, to Häme Thursday morning started with a presentation of spelt products. These products were served already during breakfast. SunSpelt entrepreneur Kari Kaipainen introduced his company, which was established in 2002 for growing spelt and other original grainplants and introducing these to the public in Finland. Then the trip continued to Vihavuori and Koskikahvila, which is located in an old windmill by a rapid in an beautiful scenery. After some coffee and sweets the owner of Voila Ky Mona Iso-Mustajärvi introduced her business which consist of collecting and producing berries and herbs into jams and jellies. They also produce some mushroom and fish products. They do also catering and different fishing and nature trips to groups. The group could participate in nature activities in Evo, where guides Juha Riisiö and Lauri Värri lead the participants to beaver dens and dams. After a stroll in the wild an outdoor lunch was served and all who wanted could try out some other activities such as archery, axe throwing and kickbiking. From Evo the trip continued to Tuulosrievä, where entrepreneur Tarja Timonen introduced her business with the help of her worker from Estonia. The group learned in Estonian about the bread making. The bread is baked with their own recipe and no additives are used. Everything is baked in real wood heated baking ovens. The bakery is always 24hours open. Then the group visited Aulanko. Operations manager Marjo Salo from Hämeenlinna-Aulanko Matkailu ry explained about their network and activities. After this Aulanko Lomakylä entrepreneur Tuija Tunturi explained about the renovations in the camping area and their new project, the future plans for Aulanko manor. After these presentations the group was lead by Tavastia students to a city tour in Hämeenlinna. After the city tour the group was settled to hotel Emilia, a family-run
hotel in city center. The whole trip was ended in a real banquets dinner at Raatihuone where Maunviljelijät Oy presented a beautiful dinner for Finnish and Estonian entrepreneurs and partners. Food designer Pirjo Päivärinta had created a stunning setting with delicious food. All ingredients where carefully selected and Pirjo explained before dinner where everything had come from. On Friday the group returned to Helsinki and before trip back home they visited Kauppatori.
Estonians FAM-trip to Finland, to Häme
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Finnish FAM-trip to Estonia, to Saar emaa Text: Marve Koppel, Taavi Tuisk, Karen Allas from Kuressaare Regional Training Centre Two days in Saaremaa and Muhu were filled with unique sites and quality products. Häme entrepreneurs had a first experience of the developing Food Trail in Saaremaa. Tuesday morning began with a visit to a local tourism gem, the small luxury hotel Pädaste Manor on Muhu island, where the start of the low season gave Ene Bauvald, the Guest Relations Manager, a good opportunity to show the Finnish group around and explain how the hotel had developed. The owners started with the restoration of the old auxiliary buildings and three years ago refurbished the main building where, in addition to hotel rooms and cozy corners for relaxing, the restaurant Alexander is situated. The Alexander holds the title of the best Estonian restaurant for 2011. The trip continued with visits to local handicraft shops and the historic village of Koguva. The building site of a historic ship at Koguva, called Uisk, was of special interest to the organisers of the Häme Medieval Market. From Muhu the route continued to the other side of the Väike Väin strait which connects Muhu and Saaremaa. Maria Kaljuste, the enthusiastic owner of a handicraft shop in Orisaare, introduced her business and activities there. Lunch in Orisaare was at Cafe Soneburg. It was perhaps a bit fancier than expected, but showed how good results can be achieved using local ingredients. The next stop took the group to the north-western corner of Saaremaa, where unique local products were mixed with international flair. Birgit and Andreas from Dortmund, Germany, explained how they found Saaremaa and started their popular handmade mustard business here. A
selection of various mustards were offered for tasting and sale. Carita from Häme was the lucky one who was chosen for the task of preparing the mustard herself and she was able to take the mustard home. The group then went to Uustalu farm where Raivo and Tiiu Kauber offered sheep’s milk from their own milk breed sheep. They have the only milk breed herd of sheep in Estonia and Tiiu is experimenting with different cheeses from the milk. She also has found her niche in natural dying of yarn with plants and mushrooms. Her workshops have attracted like-minded people from far and near. The day ended with dinner at KooliKopli tourist farm. The farm has a Finnish owner who organises horseback treks in addition to offering delicious dinners and cozy accommodation.
Finnish FAM-trip to Estonia, to Saaremaa
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Finnish FAM-trip to Estonia, to Saar emaa Wednesday morning began with visiting Karala village, where the village elder Kaja Juulik gave an overview of the history of the village. She prepared a tasting session of her own homemade jams and then took the group to see Mardi tourist farm, which received the Presidential award in 2010 for being one of the most attractive country homes in Estonia. The next stop was Lümanda Country Restaurant, where the owner and manager, Juta Pae spoke about traditional Saaremaa dishes and also gave a tour of the Russian Orthodox church situated next door. The group then proceeded to drive to the seaside village of Nasva and have lunch at the home style restaurant owned and operated by the Käesel family. The restaurant specialises in smoked fish, smoked on the premises, accompanied by locally grown vegetables and home brewed beer. Nasva is well known as a fishing village and the family has been offering traditional dishes prepared from fish for over 20 years. The food and beverage was very tasty and wholesome. After lunch, the group went for a walk along the sandy shores of Mändjala beach and then drove to Kuressaare, the capital of Saaremaa, passing the various spa hotels that line the harbourfront along the way and the famous medieval castle. In Kuresaare, the group visited the organic shop and café Saarte Sahver, followed by the Kuressaare Marketplace and marketplace building where there is a butcher’s shop selling local meats, a baker´s shop and a sheep and wool resource centre. The next stop was the Good Kaarma farm, where visitors can participate in soap making workshops. The owners in all the enterprises were all very forthcoming in describing their everyday activities and offering the opportunity to sample and purchase various local food products as well as souvenirs. The day ended at Kiratsi Farm Shop, where the Finnish entrepre-
neurs were given an overview of a village community center, community kitchen and farm shop, which all operate under the same roof. The kitchen staff served a very delicious dinner of onion and ham pie followed by zucchini and nut loaf. The tour ended in the evening back in Kuressaare at the Grand Rose Hotel, known for its friendly customer service. Here it was possible to relax in the spa after an active day in the countryside. The first Food Trail was eventful and included a wide variety of tourist sites in Saaremaa. We can surmise that we have a new product to offer, and if there is demand on the part of the Finnish group, then we will continue to develop the Trail.
Finnish FAM-trip to Estonia, to Saaremaa
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Estonians and Finnish par tners FAM-trip to Scotland Text: Roger Evans from RG Evans Associates The aim of the visit was to look at how the wide range of food and activity tourism entrepreneurship sectors has developed in Scotland and especially those products and services aimed at international markets. Rather than focussing on production systems for products in traditional food and handicrafts the visits looked at product and service quality, their range and diversity and how these food and activity tourism entrepreneurs network and linked together to create joint product and service packages between food and activity for sales, marketing and promotional purposes. The visit studied how these networks were initiated and how they are now supported especially in terms of the roles of individual entrepreneurs, larger tourism firms, public economic development agencies, marketing groups and partnerships and how local and EU funds were used to support marketing, promotion and activities of the networks. Benchmarking of these food and activity tourism products and services in relation to similar sectors in southern Finland and Estonia was an important part of the visits and focussed on the ways in which entrepreneurs supported each other to target foreign visitors through common approaches to high standards of quality and service provision Partners learned a lot from the wide ranging work done in the fields of: food networking, partnership & technology; activity tourism & marketing encompassing topics such as menus, customer expectation & quality assurance, active formal & informal tourism. Wilderness Scotland Wilderness Scotland is an awardwinning adventure travel and ecotourism company specialising in small group walking holidays and adventure holidays in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. This visit showed how a small company could distinguish itself; create a market niche and high levels of customer satisfaction through developing and trusting the competence of staff. The company put a high emphasis on service quality control, customer feedback and acting upon that feedback including implementing a programme of change in response to customer opinions. Eat Scotland EatScotland is a quality assurance “where to eat” scheme from VisitScot-
land and a website promoting all positive aspects of food and drink in Scotland. Glentrek/Highway 2 adventure Glentrek & Highway 2 adventure are experienced Scottish outdoor activities companies, based in the beautiful region of Angus, Scotland, offering fun and exciting outdoor adventure walking, cycling or active holidays. Scarletts Bees Scarletts (Scotland) was established in 1999 as a commercial beekeeping business. Their products are favourites of customers of farmers markets, farm shops, delicatessens and Multinationals. The popularity of their products and professionalism of their staff has enabled Scarletts to grow steadily into one of the largest beekeeping companies in the UK. Visit East Perthshire: Love to Eat Love to eat is a project aimed at creating a celebration of food in Blairgowrie and East Perthshire. The project is run by two extremely enthusiastic women based in the town of Blairgowrie who are striving to towards greater use of local produce and on a wider scale whilst improving the quality and range of local menus. DunCarron Medieval Fort DunCarron Medieval Fort is a full-scale replica of an early Medieval Motte & Bailey Fort and is being constructed by the Clanranald Trust. The fort will be typical of the Scottish Clan Chief’s residence from the earlier part of the last millennium. New Lanark World Heritage Site This is a beautifully restored 18th century cotton mill village in Southern Scotland, the village became famous as a model industrial community under the enlightened management of Robert Owen, from 1800-1825. Carmichael Visitor Centre and Farm Shop
Carmichael Farm has both a Visitor Centre and Farm Shop. The Visitor Centre features the former Edinburgh Wax Model Collection depicting Scotland’s millennium from Queen Margaret and Macbeth through to the present day. The farm shop sells not only their locally grown meat (wild deer, cattle, sheep, pigs) but fresh seasonal produce and other regional processed food too. They are passionate about food and the Farm Shop is an expression of this, the local nature of their food provided traceability, accountability and guaranteed quality. The farm and shop were a good example of developing local food. Whitmuir Organics Ltd This small organic farm had invested heavily in a shop and café for selling locally produced organic food products to both tourists and the nearby city (Edinburgh) consumer marketplace. Significant funding support had been received from Leader Programme funds. Glentress Forest: mountain biking centre Glentress Forest describes itself as a mountain biking Mecca deep in the heart of the stunning Tweed Valley. The biking experience there includes Green, Blue, Red or Black graded trails, as well as a magnificent multi-graded free-ride area. It also forms part of a network of mountain biking sites which is growing across the UK. A major new visitor centre, mountain bike service centre and café has also be constructed using sustainable building materials. The site caters for mountain bikers from the nearby city of Edinburgh but also many other come from further afield and accommodation has been developed on neighbouring farms.
Estonians and Finnish partners FAM-trip to Scotland
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Marketing r esearch activities in InFAcTo-project Text: Kirsi Meriläinen, Project Researcher, HAMK University of Applied Sciences The food and activity tourism businesses in the Häme region of Finland and in the south east of Estonia and Saaremaa island in Estonia aim at discovering new international markets for their tourism products and services. Also increasing an understanding of the customers is an intention, which is pursued for advancing new collaborative product and service development. In order to support these aims, the InFAcTo-project ordered a marketing research from SAC Consulting and Napier University in Scotland. The marketing research activities are conducted in close cooperation with the regional project partners: HAMK University of Applied Science in the Häme region of Finland, and Estonian University of Life Sciences.
Also the intermediaries were interviewed for finding out the expectations of the prospective international customers, in particular. The initial results indicate that the intermediaries were willing to consider packages for visitors, but often found these difficult to put together, as they would have to contact each individual business. Moreover, it was pointed out that many of the services offered are not matched to the customers’ requirements. In the next stage, the marketing research will delve deeper into consumer expectations and demand for food and activity products and service through a consumer research.
The marketing research focuses on the analysis of supply and demand of food and activity tourism services. In the first phase, an entrepreneur survey on the existing products and services, as well as on the future developmental plans was conducted. David Lamb, Consultant, and Kathy Velander, Researcher, summarize the initial results as follows:
There were businesses in all of the locations providing examples of innovation in practice, good food and drink, and high quality products and service. Yet, the businesses did not always understand the expectations of visitors.
Photo: Lea Mustonen, Head of Communications, HAMK University of Applied Sciences David Lamb, Consultant from SAC, (the second on the right) visited in the Häme region and in HAMK University of Applied Sciences in August 2011. The other persons in the picture are (from right to left) Ulla Bard, Director of Education and Research Centre for Business Administration; Merja Helin, Head of Development; and Kirsi Meriläinen, Project Researcher.
EDITOR: Estonian Ruraltourism Organization Vilmsi 53G 10147 Tallinn Estonia
I n FA c To p r o j e c t
Phone: 555-555-5555 Fax: 555-555-5555 E-mail: someone@example.com
We’re on the web! Www.infactoproject.eu InFAcTo project par tners meetings 30.-31.08.2010 in Hämeenlinna (Finland) •
Time plan and milestones vs actions, tenders and practical information,
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reporting
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Communication plan
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Website
2.-3.02.2011 in Tallinn (Estonia) •
Workshops
Metropol Hotell Tallinn
19.04.2011 in Tallinn (Estonia) •
Reporting
•
Tendering for training
•
Cross border seminar / workshop
23.-24.08.2011 in Tallinn (Estonia) •
Fam-trips
•
Marketing research
•
Workgroups Domina Inn Ilmarine
Park Inn Central Hotel Tallinn