Baroness Fairhead, the new Minister for Trade and Export Promotion at the Department for International Trade (DIT), met for an in-depth briefing session with a group of Export Champions from the North West of England.
Tony Goodman, CEO of Yumsh Snacks, who hosted the meeting at Ten Acre House in Manchester, commented: “Baroness Fairhead showed that as an experienced businesswoman she understands a lot of the issues that face exporters and was very keen to listen to our experiences. The whole group agreed that there are great opportunities for British companies to export around the world and the Government has a role to play in encouraging and supporting companies to enter new markets. People should not be afraid of trying.”
Tony Goodman informed the Minister that Yumsh Snacks Ltd, who manufacture Ten Acre hand cooked crisps and popcorn and Bean and Pod artisan chocolates, started to export in 2015 and have already reached over 45 countries with their award-winning products. “Whilst there are obvious challenges, we have found a great appetite for our products as far away as Japan and China,” explained Tony.
Baroness Fairhead commented: “UK exports are growing from strength to strength, but there is huge potential for Northern Powerhouse businesses to build on this success. Today I’ll be encouraging existing exporters to expand their global operations, and explain how we can support more businesses to target overseas markets.
The dynamic and experienced team at the Department of International Trade will continue to prepare the ground for future free trade deals and support more British businesses that want to export, so that Britain can trade its way to prosperity, stability and security.”
The DIT North West Export Champions includes representatives from: Manchester Metropolitan University, Kendal Nutricare, Playdale Playgrounds, Flexcrete Technology, J2 Aircraft, Clarke Energy and Yumsh Snacks Ltd (the creators of Ten Acre and Bean and Pod).
