In 2025, UK food and drink exporters have a unique opportunity to take charge of their exports and transform them into a strategic, profitable, and sustainable part of their business. To achieve this, it’s essential to move beyond a reactive approach and develop a proactive, well-planned export strategy. Here are six critical questions to address with your board and senior management team to help make 2025 the year you take charge of your exports:

What is driving your export ambition?

Start by confirming or reconfirming your export goals. Understanding the underlying reasons for expanding overseas or emphasizing international sales is crucial. These reasons could include:

• Extending product lifecycles: If your product category is stagnating or maturing in the UK, expanding to new markets can breathe new life into your products.
• Filling excess production capacity: If you have excess production capacity, exporting can help utilize it more effectively.
• Offsetting seasonality: Exporting can help balance seasonal fluctuations in domestic sales.
• De-risking your business: If your sales are too UK-centric, diversifying into international markets can reduce risk.
• Accessing larger consumer markets: The UK represents less than one percent of the total global consumer market. Tapping into larger markets can significantly increase your customer base.

Ensure that everyone in the business is aware of and invested in this goal. When the entire team understands and supports the export ambition, it becomes easier to align efforts and resources towards achieving it.

What are your internal capabilities and boundaries?

A reactive approach to international sales often leads to producing small, unprofitable runs of unique products for overseas customers. This can strain your production and finance teams. To avoid this, consider the following:

• Current products and pack sizes: Assess whether your current products and pack sizes are suitable for overseas markets. You may need to develop smaller packs for countries with lower disposable incomes or larger packs for foodservice channels.
• Labelling and ingredients: Determine if you are prepared to alter labeling and ingredients to meet the requirements of different markets. This could include moving to foreign language packs or reformulating recipes for different taste preferences.
• Production process: Evaluate whether your production process can accommodate the changes needed for international markets. Extending shelf life, for example, can open up more distant markets.

If you are not prepared to make many modifications and only want to sell to countries that will accept your current range in English packs, this will simplify market identification but may limit long-term prospects.

What resources (financial and human) can you unlock to boost your export drive?

To achieve significant traction in export markets, dedicated resources are essential. Consider the following:

• Full-time resource or export team: If export activities are a bolt-on to someone’s day job, they will not receive the attention they need. A full-time resource or dedicated export team can drive better results.
• Overseas travel: Frequent overseas travel is necessary to enter markets, appoint partners, attend trade shows, and manage distributor relationships. Budget for these costs.
• Marketing and promotional budget: Supporting your brand in international markets requires a marketing and promotional budget. This may include funds for listing fees if you pursue multiple retail routes.
• Certification documentation and samples: Exporting often incurs hidden costs, such as certification documentation and sending samples. Plan for these expenses.

By unlocking the necessary financial and human resources, you can build a robust export strategy that drives long-term growth.

 Are you in the right country?

Country selection is a critical step in developing a successful export strategy. Start by understanding the drivers for your sales and consider the following factors:

• Spending power: Evaluate the spending power of potential markets to ensure they can afford your products.
• Demographics and infrastructure: Consider factors such as ageing populations, urbanization, and infrastructure development.
• Sales channels and trade barriers: Assess the availability of sales channels, trade barriers, and enablers in potential markets.
• Regulations and cultural factors: Understand the regulatory environment and cultural, social, and religious factors that may impact your products.

Conduct a deeper dive into category data and global trends to identify promising markets. Aim for a geographically diverse portfolio to mitigate overreliance on one market or region. Remember, you can’t be in many of the 200 countries at once and do them justice, so focus on a few key markets where you can make a significant impact.

Do you have the best-fit distributors?

For many exporters, the most common route to market in overseas countries is through local distributors. These distributors represent your company and brand, providing vital access to contacts, knowledge, and customer service. However, poor-fit distributors with misaligned objectives can derail relationships and sales. To ensure you have the best-fit distributors, consider the following:

• Review your current distributors: Evaluate all distributors in your network. Celebrate the success of high-performing distributors, challenge underperformers to improve, and consider alternatives for those not meeting expectations.
• Due diligence: Conduct thorough due diligence before partnering with new distributors. Ensure they align with your objectives and can effectively represent your brand.
• Support and motivation: Provide the necessary support and motivation to help your distributors succeed. This may include training, marketing support, and regular communication.

By working with the right distributors, you can build strong, long-term relationships that drive sales and growth in international markets.

Are you managing your risk?

Exporting involves various risks, and it’s essential to have a plan in place to manage them. Consider the following potential risks and mitigation strategies:

• Compliance issues: Products may be refused entry into a country if they are not compliant with local regulations. Ensure your labeling and ingredients meet the requirements of each market.
• Shipping delays and damage: Shipments can be delayed or damaged due to incorrect paperwork or other issues. Work with reliable logistics partners and ensure all documentation is accurate.
• Distributor performance and payment: Despite due diligence, you may end up with an underperforming distributor or one who doesn’t pay you. Have contingency plans in place and consider working with trade finance specialists to manage payment risks.

Map out all potential risks in your export supply chain and develop mitigation plans. Seek advice from international trade specialists who can help with compliance, paperwork, and debt collection. This will free up your time to focus on your core strengths, such as manufacturing and selling your products.

Conclusion

By addressing these six critical questions, UK food and drink exporters can take charge of their exports in 2025. Moving from a reactive to a proactive approach will help transform exports into a strategic, profitable, and sustainable part of the business. With clear goals, dedicated resources, the right market selection, strong distributor relationships, and effective risk management, exporters can achieve long-term growth and success in international markets.

If you or your client are a food and drink manufacturer looking to export or explore new markets globally, please reach out to the Food and Drink Exporter’s Association (FDEA).
The FDEA is a vibrant community of exporting companies, ranging from some of the UK’s most successful exporters to those just beginning their export journey.
Their International In-Market Expert members and commercial operators in leading markets offer bespoke services to help brands grow their business.
Additionally, their Professional Associate Experts provide support for the practical aspects of exporting, including logistics, labelling, certification, compliance, and much more.

About Newable Commerce

Newable Commerce aims to simplify international trade for the UK’s roughly 300,000 exporting SMEs.
“Simplifying international trade” is the core principle that guides everything we do at Newable Commerce. We’re not just tackling current problems; we’re completely rethinking what trade finance means. Our goal is to fundamentally change how customers think about trade finance, proving that it can be simple and efficient, setting a new benchmark for the industry. We do this through a range of products and services that enable businesses to move and manage funds internationally and optimise cash flow through our working capital debt products.