Buns, benches and brewing products to France - Business Finland France representatives visited Lahti to map the export potential of the region

24.2.2023

Business Finland Paris representatives visited Lahti Science Park on Tuesday February 7th, 2023 to meet with local representatives from the food, brewing, construction and manufacturing sectors. After a busy year of investment in the Lahti region, France has shown interest in Lahti's food, circular economy and construction expertise.

“The guests initially wanted to hear about LADEC as a company, but were also interested in the electric transport cluster, coordinated by LADEC to promote the green transport transition, and the Lahti Sports Hub, which promotes sports exports, so the day gave them a very varied picture of Lahti's knowledge spheres," said Ville Uimonen, Head of Lahti Region Maritime Cluster, who chaired the day. 

The French representatives were particularly interested in the activities and expansion potential of seven companies invited by LADEC to the meeting at the Science Park.

"These are medium-sized companies with the capacity to innovate and respond to a changing market by international standards, and for which there is an identified need in France. It is a pleasure to be able to showcase local expertise to Business Finland France. This is one of LADEC's important tasks - to make the region´s know-how visible to the world", said Tomi Tura, Managing Director of LADEC.

The day was dedicated to discussing the readiness of companies to enter the French market and the networks in which market entry should be promoted.

"A good product is not enough, you need to have the right contacts to launch the product on the French market in the right way. This will also help to get the price level right. Finnish work and products are appreciated in France, and they know that Finnish operators do not compete on price. The added value can be found elsewhere," said Oonagh Allas-Murphy, Advisor to Business Finland Paris, and continued: "In retail, it is worth visiting the major cities in France to study product placement and product marketing so that the consumer behaviour differences become visible."    

France - a service economy ten times the size of Finland  

France is the second largest economy in the EU, with more than 100 Finnish companies. Society is becoming more electronic and the spread of digitalisation requires the search for new skills also in northern Europe. 90% of France's energy comes from nuclear or renewable sources. In 2030, France aims to be the leading producer of electric vehicles in Europe and new battery materials are also of interest.

"The green transition is part of the government's growth strategy and is changing the business environment. Several investments in battery factories are also in the pipeline. We are constantly looking for investment opportunities that interest French operators," said Xavier Riquier, Senior Advisor to Business Finland Paris, specialising in energy and industry.  

Diverse opportunities on the French market 

France is one of Europe's leading countries for the manufacture of marine projects, with more than 60 shipyards building, among other things, cruise liners, defence vessels, yatching and solutions for the oil, gas and renewable energy sectors. French cruise ship construction is doing well again after the Covid crisis.

"Of the seven companies we met today, we had a really good discussion with four of them on the background to exporting to the maritime industry. So there are very significant opportunities in France in the marine industry, including the country's many ports, on decarbonisation, digitalisation, shipbuilding solutions, etc." said Marine Devos, Business Finland Senior Advisor for the Maritime sector.   

There is also an unprecedented investment in HORECA in general and restaurant experiences. The food service ecosystem provides strong potential for Finnish companies.

"After organic, vegetable-based options are promising products for the French food market, and food innovations are also of interest. The year 2022 was marked by rational, but still health-based food consumption. Despite the rise in consumer prices, the trend in dining is to seek naturalness, locality, and new options suitable for special diets" said Oonagh Allas-Murphy, who came to meet food companies in Lahti.

According to Oonagh, Finnish oat products and vegetable proteins, superfoods, such as fermented products, snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and foodtech know-how are especially on the rise. 

LADEC and Business Finland France help to kick-start internationalisation   

If you are interested in the French market, feel free to contact us! At LADEC, we work with Business Finland to help you analyse and find the right partners to support your business expansion to new markets. We will also inform you about upcoming investor and industry events in France.

Further information:

Ville Uimonen 
Head of Development | Lahden Seudun Kehitys LADEC Oy
+358 50 574 3222 | ville.uimonen@ladec.fi

Oonagh Allas-Murphy 
Advisor (Food, Consumer, Retail, Packaging) 
Business Finland France
oonagh.allas-murphy@businessfinland.fi 

Marine Devos 
Senior Advisor (Maritime, Clean Tech, Circular Economy, Bio-Economy, Chemicals) 
Business Finland France
marine.devos@businessfinland.fi 

Xavier Riquier 
Advisor (Mining & Batteries, Energy, Construction, Aerospace) 
Business Finland France
xavier.riquier@businessfinland.fi 

Henriikka Yliheljo 
Counsellor, Trade & Investments (Health, Industry 4.0, Digital) 
Business Finland France
henriikka.yliheljo@formin.fi 

---
Text: Anri Vuori, LADEC
---
In the photo from left to right: Tomi Tura, Ville Uimonen, Oonagh Allas-Murphy, Xavier Riquier, Anri Vuori and Marine Devos.