Amsterdam / The Netherlands, 11 October 2021: Fi Global is enabling ingredients suppliers to join the online sourcing revolution with a year-round Sample Store platform in partnership with 1-2-Taste, in addition to a dedicated Sample Store for exhibitors at Fi Europe Online.

1-2-Taste is an online B2B food ingredients platform based in the Netherlands that has made its name as a disruptor of traditional ingredient sales methods. The platform allows R&D experts to identify ingredients and obtain samples to try out, and buyers to place orders, without leaving their desks. It is especially helpful to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) because they can order ingredients in small quantities that are not commercially viable through traditional sales channels.

Through its partnership with 1-2-Taste, Food Ingredients Global is integrating two Sample Stores into the heart of its portfolio of exhibitions, information services, and digital solutions, which have a global audience of industry professions established over more than 30 years.

• The Sample Store on the Fi Europe Online platform gives exhibitors maximum expose to more than 12,000 online attendees over the duration of the online event, which runs from 22 November to 2 December 2021.
• The year-round Sample Store concept allows subscribers to have their Sample Store featured on the Ingredients Network directory and news portal, which attracts more than 40,000 unique buyers a month.

“The Sample Store on Ingredients Network brings real added value to suppliers of food ingredients, as it allows them to interact with customers in the very place that they go to for industry insights and information throughout the year,” says Angelique Cachia, Content and Digital Director Food, Informa Markets.

Suppliers can register for a Sample Store via the Fi Global website.

How Sample Stores work

Suppliers receive support to set up their branded Sample Store on 1-2-Taste, which can feature up to 10 samples. Customers who visit the Sample Store can browse through information on the samples – including technical documents, videos, quality certifications, and other materials – at their convenience, then order samples with a click. There is also an option for suppliers to sell directly through the Sample Store, with order fulfilment in Europe and India.

“The Sample Store concept is really user-friendly. It helps suppliers both to gather new sales leads and to demonstrate new products to existing customers,” says Cachia.

For 1-2-Taste, the partnership with Food ingredients Global will allow it to gain insights into emerging industry trends, so that it can extend its services in the future.

“With this partnership we are filling a void, customers today expect online channels for commercial ingredients transactions and quick turnarounds, together with Fi Global we are enabling suppliers and meeting customer expectations,” says 1-2-Taste CEO and co-founder Jasper Schouten.

1-2-Taste was born out of Schouten’s observation of commercial challenges faced by SMEs in the food and beverage sector, during the 17 years that he worked for major flavours and speciality ingredients companies.

“SMEs would knock on our door and ask to buy, perhaps, 20kg of flavours a year, and we would have to say sorry, because this was not economically viable. This got me thinking about how we could better reach this sort of customers,” he said.

After launching first in India, 1-2-Taste made its European debut in September 2020 with a portal that allows purchasing managers both to buy ingredients in the quantities they need and to receive technical support from freelance service providers.

The company has already been recognised for its originality and business potential, winning the prize for Best Starter in Ecommerce in the Netherlands at the Shopping Awards 2021.

According to research from McKinsey, Covid-19 drove a global shift towards digital B2B sales in many industries, but the trend is set to stay. Over 70% of B2B decision makers who responded to a survey in 2020 said they prefer remote human interactions or digital self-service, due to ease of scheduling, travel expense savings, and safety. Among respondents who sell B2B products online, 75% expressed confidence in the effectiveness of new sales models in reaching and serving target customers.