The production of essential oils from many different plant constituents provides a great opportunity to add value to raw materials before export. These essential oils find applications in different markets, including the food market, where they mostly have a use as flavouring ingredients. Europe plays a central role in the global market for flavours and fragrances. Many essential oils find their way to this market, which highly values the unique properties of essential oils.
Coffee producers can join multiple sustainability schemes at the same time. Joining an extra scheme takes extra effort and investments, and the benefits need to outweigh the additional costs. Producers should therefore only join multiple schemes if they have confirmed buyers that are committed to buying the coffee under those schemes. While multi-scheme production is common, coffee is rarely sold under multiple schemes at once. The only notable exception in Europe is Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance combined with Organic certification.
Water sports are a substantial tourism niche. As part of the broader nautical segment, the water sports market is comprised of many specialist niches like windsurfing and kitesurfing, which require skill and specific environmental conditions. Other water sports, like wakeboarding, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), require less skill and can be enjoyed casually while on holiday. Europeans from the UK, Germany, France, the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) and the Netherlands are water sports enthusiasts.
Solo travellers make up 18% of global tourism bookings, so it is essential to engage this market. They are often motivated by a desire to see the world without having to wait for others to join them. They enjoy connecting with like-minded solo travellers during their journey, and they prioritise safety and the opportunity to meet new people when choosing a destination and tour operator. The preferences of solo travellers often vary based on age, gender and favourite activities.
A gap year is defined as a period of time during which someone takes a break from studying, usually before or after university. It also includes career breaks, sabbaticals and other extended trips. Gap years are a well-established concept in Europe, particularly in the UK, and more and more young people choose to travel during a gap year. Making a positive contribution to local communities, learning new skills and getting around sustainably are all key motivations for gap year travel.
In Europe, speciality grains such as quinoa, amaranth, teff, and millet are sold both as a grain and in other forms such as flour, flakes or puffs. This presents an opportunity for exporters to sell these grains not only dried but also with some added value. However, the market for speciality grains with added value is still a niche. Competition is fierce, as there are several products competing for the same niche markets, such as gluten-free or healthy plant-based proteins.
Islamic wear or modest fashion is a product category that offers growing opportunities for apparel manufacturers that want to export to Europe. Europe’s Muslim community is young, growing, increasingly self-aware and want to express their style as well as their religious identity. Islamic fashion is as diverse as the community itself, but the central theme is that Islamic wear enables the wearer to respect Islamic teachings related to modesty, while looking good.
Prickly pear seed oil is a relatively new vegetable oil for the cosmetics market, facing competition from similar vegetable oils. As an exporter, your focus should be on raising awareness of this oil and ensuring that your communication materials speak to consumers about the impressive cosmetic benefits. This gives manufacturers and brands an excellent reason to incorporate your oil into their product lines. Collaboration among producers may be essential to enhance volumes and supply chain reliability.
Moringa oil is becoming increasingly popular in the European cosmetics market. Its emollient and skin conditioning properties are highly valued, but it is also associated with anti-ageing and detoxifying properties. The European market for cosmetics provides opportunities for moringa oil as consumers become more interested in wellness and health and increasingly demand natural cosmetic products. With the right promotion, there are good opportunities for moringa oil in cosmetics.
The European market for chlorella and spirulina in health products is growing. These microalgae have gained popularity for their nutritional benefits, leading to a growing demand from food supplement manufacturers and health-conscious consumers across Europe. In order to export chlorella and spirulina for health products to Europe, it is important to maintain product quality and ensure compliance with European regulations and additional buyer requirements. Market entry is very challenging for small-scale producers in emerging market economies.