The Colombian market has great export opportunities for Italy, due to the scarce local offer of typical products of the Mediterranean diet such as pasta, olive oil, cured meats, and wines. Italy is not a top supplier of the main food categories imported from Colombia. However, it comes in third place for preserved sauces and in seventh for coffee and chocolate.
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On the other hand, Colombia is a multi-cultural and multi-lingual country with many different food tastes, which allows the development of exports of high-quality and limited-production products (cured meats, olive oil, etc.), and beverages such as wines, for which a specific culture is only now developing.
Italian exports to Colombia – The top 10 food sectors (2020)
| CATEGORY | SALES (Mio €) |
| Tomato preserves | 1 |
| Dairy products | 0.8 |
| Olive oil | 0.7 |
| Wines | 4.3 |
| Liquors and spirits | 4.4 |
| Pasta | 10.8 |
| Preserved sauces | 5 |
| Cocoa and chocolate | 2.4 |
| Bakery | 0.4 |
PASTA, ITALY IS TOP EXPORTER
Considering the top 10 main F&B categories imported from Colombia, Italy holds a leadership position only when it comes to pasta. In the first quarter of 2021, imports from Italy grew by +15.7% reaching 2.5 million euros. Italy has thus confirmed itself as the export leader, with a market share of 46.1%. It seems sufficient to maintain current quality levels (durum wheat, natural drying, etc.) to differentiate Italian products from competitor countries’.
Pasta: Italy’s position in the Colombian market
| EXPORTING COUNTRIES | JANUARY-MARCH 2021 (sales in thousand euros) | VAR. % 2021/2020 |
| Italy | 2,529 | +15.7% |
| Chile | 927 | +144.6% |
| Mexico | 754 | -10.3% |
| USA | 340 | -1.7% |
| Brasil | 165 | -9.3% |
| Other Countries | 768 | -37.6% |
CANNED TOMATOES
In terms of economic importance, tomato derivatives are the third food category that Italy exports to Colombia. Market leadership is held by Chile, followed by Peru and the United States. In the first quarter of 2021, Italy’s exports were about one-tenth of those of the export leader (down -14.1%).
Tomato Derivatives: Italy’s Position in the Colombian Market
| EXPORTING COUNTRIES | JANUARY-MARCH 2021 (sales in thousand euros) | VAR. % 2021/2020 |
| Chile | 2,329 | -4.6% |
| Peru | 1,245 | +30.2% |
| USA | 711 | +71.3% |
| Italy | 252 | -37% |
| Other Countries | 61 | -14.1% |
CHOCOLATE
As for Italian chocolate exports to Colombia, the trade prospects are high. In the first quarter of 2021, total exports were down -9%, with Italy slightly above average (-10.4%), but better than Germany (-14.8%). Chocolate-based products hold a 42% share of a confectionery market of just under half a billion US$. Today it is presided over by local leaders (Nutresa and Colombina), and multinationals (Cadbury Adams and Arcor).
Cocoa products: Italy’s position in the Colombian market
| EXPORTING COUNTRIES | JANUARY-MARCH 2021 (sales in thousand euros) | VAR. % 2021/2020 |
| USA | 3,441 | -20.5% |
| Brasil | 1,417 | +20.4% |
| Ecuador | 997 | +147.4% |
| Mexico | 776 | -9% |
| Germany | 710 | -14.8% |
| Italy | 545 | -10.4% |
| Other Countries | 2,192 | -23.8% |
The analysis of recent behavioral patterns suggests that Colombian consumers will consider chocolate less and less like a snack to be purchased on impulse, and more and more as an energy and nutritional food integrated into their daily diet (Source: GTAI).
OLIVE OIL
Another product with potential for growth in the Colombian market is olive oil, but today imports are almost exclusively the prerogative (over 90%) of Spain, which benefits from the language and the possibility of charging more competitive prices than Italy. Olive oil in Colombia is a luxury good, and its consumption is limited to high-end restaurants and the higher income classes, while the other families use cheaper substitutes (sunflower oil, soybean oil, margarine). In the absence of important national production, there is room for growth for Italian olive oil exports.
Edited by Nomisma