Maribor Development Agency, the lead partner of project INTRA (programme Interreg Europe) proposed changes to the OP for implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 in East Slovenia. As the result, the Ministry for Economic Development and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia prepared the Internationalisation vouchers.
Head of Marketing and Sales, Ms. Anja Ribič, said:
"There is no guarantee, a business will start after a meeting at the fair. Therefore, vouchers reduce the risks and help companies attend more fairs, establish more business contacts and achieve a breakthrough on new markets."
Stork d.o.o. is producing traditional and new flavour of ice cream, which they present to new customers at home and abroad. Attending international fairs allows them to reach a wide base of international customers. That’s the main reason they are presenting both their ice creams and sorbets. Just presenting, however, is not enough. There’s a long way between getting a potential distributer interested and successfully entering a new market. Each step along the way is connected to costs and risks. The bigger the risks, the better the chances for a successful contract. And that’s where the vouchers come in.
In 2019 Stork d.o.o. applied for the voucher for group participation of Slovenian economy at fairs abroad in the total amount of 2.874,00 EUR. By receiving this cofounding, they were able to spend additional resources into the presentation itself, which led them to establish contacts with a buyer from Hong Kong, from where Stork ice cream will enter the Chinese market.
At the moment, they are passing the necessary inspections in order to start selling Slovenian ice cream in China, just like they have already done in Russia.
