On 10 June 2025, the three-day Africa Food Show opened in Cape Town, marking the first time that KOWR has participated in the event. The trade fair is organised in cooperation with the organisers of the renowned GULFOOD exhibition in Dubai and is a continuation of the Africa’s Big Seven trade fair, previously held in Johannesburg.
Entrepreneurs exhibiting at the KOWR stand in Cape Town under the Poland tastes good banner are showcasing a range of products to potential buyers from South Africa and other countries in the region. These include frozen fruit and vegetables, sweets and chocolate products (such as biscuits, fudge, wafer rolls and jelly sweets), caviar, frozen meat and chicken products, sausages and cold cuts, ready meals, pork gelatine, and pet food.
On 9 June 2025, the day before the fair began, Polish entrepreneurs – in collaboration with the Foreign Trade Office of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in Cape Town – had the opportunity to visit major local retail chains, including Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Checkers, Woolworths, Dischem, and Clicks.
EU countries have long been the dominant buyers of Polish food products (accounting for 75% of exports worth EUR 53.5 billion in 2024). However, year after year, more companies in the agri-food sector are seeking niche markets on other continents and diversifying their export destinations. Businesses from outside Europe, including African countries, are playing an increasingly important role among the trade partners of Polish exporters. In 2024, Polish food exports increased to Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, the Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Mauritius, among others. Overall, agri-food exports to Africa reached nearly EUR 2 billion last year (EUR 1.963 billion).
In 2024, Polish agri-food exports to South Africa amounted to EUR 111 million. South African importers purchased from Poland, among other products: sugar syrups, cereal- and flour-based goods, confectionery, and fruit and vegetable juices. There was also notable interest in vegetable preserves as well as poultry meat and offal.
This marks KOWR’s first participation in a trade fair in South Africa since 2018. The change in location and name of the fair, along with a new co-organiser, offers hope for a fresh start and the potential for the event to become a regular feature in the exhibition calendar on the African continent. This would create new opportunities for exporters looking to expand into Southern Africa and establish promising business contacts in the region.
