The Mediterranean Food Hub project, the Mercabarna Export Cluster and the international consulting service that Mercabarna offers were the three major areas around which Mercabarna based its participation at Alimentaria. With an institutional stand in the International Pavilion, Mercabarna promoted itself as the benchmark food centre of the Mediterranean, both in terms of the international distribution of fresh produce and the exporting of knowledge and experience to advise institutions and markets on issues relating to food-estate management and operation.

Over the four days of the exhibition, more than 100 professionals visited the Mercabarna stand, interested in learning more about these international projects and also to obtain information on how to buy and sell fresh food to companies located on the estate.

One of Mercabarna’s objectives at the event was to boost the recently created Mercabarna Export Cluster. That is why the main event held at the stand was a meeting among the representatives of the thirty-odd firms involved in the new platform. In addition to fostering relations and swapping impressions between companies, the meeting was used to mark the beginning of all of the actions the cluster has scheduled for 2014 and 2015.

Fifty foreign professionals visit Mercabarna
Taking advantage of the time they spent in Barcelona to attend Alimentaria, numerous international professionals showed an interest in learning more about the activity performed at Mercabarna and the business opportunities the estate’s firms could offer them. On 2 April, around 40 food company importers from Asian countries including China, Thailand and the Philippines, South America (Brazil and Colombia) and Europe (Romania, Poland and Germany, among others) visited the Fruit and Vegetable Central Market and a company that specialises in potato handling. The following day it was the turn of around 10 Asian professionals from the meat sector who were given a first-hand look at the Slaughterhouse and a number of the estate's firms dedicated to meat distribution.

Alimentaria 2014, the most international year in the fair’s history
• More than 140,000 visitors
• 42,000 foreign visitors, around 30% of the total
• 650 major international purchasers
• 300 new products presented

See the Alimentaria 2014 photo gallery