Success story: Latvian cooperative “Provinces produkti” is spreading the wings

Provinces produkti aim to popularize gastro tourism, provide visitors with the opportunity to get to know and enjoy local products, participate in tastings, masterclasses, and visit farms. Thus, Provinces Produkti not only supports local producers but also promotes cultural and gastronomic understanding, creating a connection with local trade and tourism. As for geographic coverage, Provinces Produkti primarily focuses on Kurzeme region (western part of Latvia). However, they also collaborate with local producers from other parts of Latvia, offering a wide range of locally grown, produced, and processed products.

Meet local taste and flavour
The cooperative has partly become a reference location and destination for visitors in Saldus – it offers an opportunity of perfect location and suggests what to visit in Saldus/Dienvidkurzeme region to meet “local taste and flavour”.

Serving as a local taste, farmers and small producers’ representative for the visitors coming to the particular region of Latvia, Provinces produkti has reached a certain degree of growth, and lately have been considering to develop their sales and product network, brand awareness and the possible ways how to spread the wings to be able to reach new horisons.

Supported by project Bascil
Project Bascil went live with an opportunity for offer a helping hand with mentoring, workshops, developing new ideas and future perspectives, broadening network of partners, producers, products. A new perspective opened-up to put heads together and think of a new strategical plan what to do differently in order to reach new targets.

Firstly, inspired and encouraged by Bascil consultants mentoring, the management of the Provinces Produkti cooperative invested in designing and buying a new multifunctional sales stand. The sales stand is not just a stand – it comes with oven surface for grilling, small fridge for keeping certain products cool, nice niche shelves for presenting culinary goods. This stand is used for open events, as the sales counter, products display place and products cooking facility. It is attractive in general. New company banners were made to be attached on the visible side of the stand.

New innovative way of presenting products
Such a completely new advertising and sales tool allows to offer much bigger variety of tastes – a new and innovative way of presenting the production and offering products for tasting on the new sales stand. The first trials were carried out in “Friday open market” events organized in Saldus market. But the main success story turned out to be the decision to take part in the biggest annual regional culinary tourism festival held in town Kuldīga on 14^th of September – “Audz’s Kurzemē”, uniting the regional food producers and caterers, gathering several thousand visitors from all Latvia and letting to gain experience, how important it is to step out of the local boundaries and spread the wings in wider range!

More visible and attractive in social media
Secondly, project Bascil supported upgrading of the digital marketing skills of the involved companies. This added value for the everyday activities of the involved project pilot companies in the social networks. As the result – information is presented more professional and target oriented. Cooperative Provinces Produkti management accepted all recommendations of the mentor with great interest. And result is visible! Company is more visible and attractive in all social media, but especially in Facebook, Instagram and also web page.

Positive outcome
The outcome of promoting the cooperative itself and its cooperation partners – local producers meanwhile selling their products – was increased percentage of sold production by ca 10%, much increased number of interested customers and visitors by ca 10-20% as well as promoted awareness.

Each evening market event attracted ca 50-60 visitors. Regional culinary tourism festival provided with ca with 400 visitors.

CONCLUSION

It is now clear that participating in larger scale events and festivals is very successful, and this is the target and focus for the next season to take part in bigger events with a pop-up store and offering different product variations and tastings. And no less important now days is to present company and the products/services in professional format on the internet, and particularly, social media, where potential visitors and customers firstly are looking for information. Complex of the activities allows to display products for potential customers and farms visitors, as well as, provide opportunity to spread out information about all gastro tourism sites represented by cooperative Provinces Produkti.

FACTS

Provinces Produkti is located at 5 Druvas Street, Saldus, Saldus Municipality, Latvia (LV-3801). The cooperative operates a store at Saldus Market, Kuldīgas Street 1, Saldus, Saldus Municipality, Latvia (LV-3801).

LINKS

www.provincesprodukti.lv

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