Hundreds of international buyers from 61 countries held business meetings with the 74 Portuguese companies that 'exhibited' at Digital Agrifood Summit Portugal between 20 and 23 January. The pioneering online trade show organized by the Portuguese Agrofood Cluster – a group made up of PortugalFoods, Inovcluster, Agrocluster do Ribatejo, Portugal Fresh and ViniPortugal (Wines of Portugal) – was a major joint promotional collaboration that underlined the tremendous international interest in Portuguese wines and agri-food products.

Wines, meat and fish, cheeses and charcuterie, olive oils and olives, fruit and vegetables,  confectionary, beers, frozen foods, condiments, sauces, preserves and a host of other quality products found their optimum digital showcase in this event.

"In a year when most international trade fairs were cancelled or greatly reduced in size, we wanted to offer our exporters an affordable and simple opportunity to make contact with buyers from all over the world," said Amândio Santos, the President of PortugalFoods and head of the Portuguese Agrofood Cluster. "This was a bold, pioneering and risky venture that brought together the whole Portuguese agri-food sector like never before. Now we know what we are capable of, although there is always room for future improvements, our intention is to maintain the momentum generated by this event so it becomes a fixture on the international scene. Digital Agrifood Summit Portugal is part of a more comprehensive plan that the Portuguese Agrofood Cluster intends to implement, driving the sector on the path towards a true digital transformation," added Santos.

The organizers rated the experience very highly and estimate that firm business deals reached as a result of the meetings held through the platform will have a significant impact on the exports of the companies that took part.