ABOUT US

The Baltic Gastronomy Leaders (BGL) is an alliance of organisations of Lithuanian producers of food and other agricultural products, established in 2018 as a confederation, the main purpose of which is to help producers export their products, increase the visibility of the quality of such products in foreign markets, and increase the added value of such products.

BGL unites the associations of grain, soft-drinks, spirits, organic food and other food sectors.

The main objectives of BGL activity:

  • to promote high quality food and beverage products produced in Lithuania in foreign markets;
  • to assist Lithuanian producers from different sectors of food and drinks industry to investigate and ensure new channels for sales.

The main activities of BGL include:

  • participation in international trade shows;
  • organisation of business delegations and visits;
  • informative and educational activities in export markets;
  • marketing activities in export markets;
  • public relations activities;
  • market researches;
  • trainings, seminars, events for members;
  • promotion of innovations, research and development;
  • fund-raising to support the organization’s main activities.

In 2019, the Board of BGL approved the main strategic directions for expansion into export markets (in descending order of importance):

  1. East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea);
  2. USA;
  3. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia;
  4. The Middle East;
  5. Other export markets (outside the EU).

To achieve these export priorities, on April 3, 2019 BGL and ICC Lietuva signed a strategic cooperation agreement, providing for the following activities to promote exports: sharing of information and experience, expert assistance, partnership attracting private and state funding, cooperation at the political and embassy level to ensure comprehensive assistance for exporters.

To increase its access to the best expert minds, on April 9, 2019 BGL signed a cooperation agreement with the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Vilnius University, representatives of which before were invited to participate in forming BGL management and oversight bodies and will provide consultations on opportunities to expand exports.

BGL member-organisations and board members have considerable experience in various projects for expanding food exports carried out in Latvia, Estonia, USA, China, Russia, South Korea, Israel, Canada, Australia, Ukraine and other markets.

BGL is developing its EUROPE SHARES programme for export to Japanese, Chinese, S.Korean, USA, Ukraine and Kazakhstan markets. The programme includes participation in international trade fairs, business events, PR, on-line and POS promotion, events for consumers.