I am lucky enough to travel to Chile around four times a year. A country full of contradictions but equally a lot of opportunities for British companies, with a clear taste for British food and drink, and for UK brands in general. A 2 to 3-hour flight from Montevideo, where I live, Santiago is a great place to do business. Clearly that’s been the case for a number of British food and drink brands, which I find more and more of every time I travel.

Here are a few examples from my trip last week:

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Tesco have presence in Tottus, one of the major supermarket chains.

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The Tesco selection at Tottus can feel a bit random at times, but I am guessing there’s some testing being done here…

 

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Chile has the highest per capita consumption of tea in Latin America, and you have to compete very hard for shelf space.

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Some British brands are iconic in Chile. Twinings has changed its packaging to Portuguese and Spanish across Latin America, something many have complained about.

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Coquinaria is a gourmet paradise in Santiago. Here’s their concession at Falabella in Parque Arauco.

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A market of 18 million people, Chile is a good test market for British brands.

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I got the inside story from the shop manager as to which British products sell well, and which don’t.

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Middle and upper-class Chilean buyers are very design conscious. British products with careful branding and packaging stand a much stronger chance in a market that is hugely competitive.

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Delighted to see products from Suffolk on display at Coquinaria Falabella! The expat market is interesting enough, but these brands must have a much wider appeal.

Anything that particularly surprised you?

Any questions?

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