Regional Taste Conference – Local Products in the Future Market

On October 2, Inga Bērziņa, project manager of the association "Farmers' Council", participated in the conference "Local Products in the Future Market", where they discussed the future of local food and e-commerce opportunities.

“Why talk about the future? The future is a land of opportunity. Everything we haven’t done today, we can do tomorrow. We can change the future and we can prepare for it, and the future will come sooner than we think, and we will also be forced to deal with it.” challenges we can't even imagine" – Miķelis Grīviņš from the Baltic Studies Centre. Changes are not happening linearly, but in leaps and bounds.

The food chain or food circulation will be affected by:

• Climate change and the environment – The need to find a balance between the price of the product and its impact on the environment; New business models to commercialize biodiversity (multifunctionality, circularity will be strengthened); New technologies (both high-tech and low-tech) will be strengthened; Diversification helps to strengthen against unpredictability. (Farm to Fork strategy, e.g. research in the RTU food cluster, where the value of beef is studied in relation to medicinal plants or a buffet is being introduced more widely in schools so that uneaten products can be used elsewhere (circularity).
• Demographic processes: The first natural market to sell the product will become smaller; In order to maintain the level of income, it will be necessary to look for ways to expand the market reached; Different demographic groups will look for values close to themselves in products; New urban-rural relations will create new opportunities.
• Lifestyle and diets – Eating habits are changing. New diets are gaining popularity; Global responsible consumption is becoming increasingly prominent; Personal connections with food are being replaced by marketing-driven interpretations; Health and safety are concepts at the center of political discussions.
• Innovation and technology – digital skills are invaluable. The most successful farms will widely use digital tools; Technology creates constraints on development opportunities. Future investments must be technologically aligned with previous ones. For example, industry 4.0, large databases can be connected and used for the development of SMEs.
• Management – In priority areas, much more active political involvement can be expected; At the same time, politics will be reactive, not proactive - digitalization will create new opportunities for support, traceability and control; strong involvement of civic and business interests in seeking new forms of regulatory implementation; Solutions will seek to respond to several priorities at the same time. For example, there are schools that individually deal with product purchases from local producers, and farmers need to understand who they want to sell their products to.

Gundars Skudriņš from the Environmental Solutions Institute emphasized that Latvia's advantage is the purity of nature, while the advantage of the Vidzeme region is its height above sea level. The institute is successfully engaged in the cultivation of medicinal plants.

The entrepreneur noted that Latvian universities have introduced bioeconomy training programs because specialists are needed who are able to extract dyes and other active compounds from plants.

In the panel discussion Eriks Dreibants, Cookery House in Ligatne owner emphasized that farmers must learn to prepare and package products according to the orders of caterers. Also, there is a shortage of freshwater fish in the Latvian market (there is a shortage of tench, bream, pike).

Sabine Lakuča from the 'Top' chain of stores” noted that it is important for farmers to ensure regular supplies.

Elina Novada from Svaigi.lv talked about the idea of starting a business – an online sales portal, as a social enterprise that works with both farmers and product buyers.

Dace Meldere from the farm “Kolumbi” On the Kuldīga side, they talked about beef preparation and meat curing. Agnese Buka from LPKS Kuldīgas labumi noted that COVID-19 has boosted e-commerce for local producers.

Kristaps Kravalis – personal productivity and “High Performance” coach presented how to deal with burnout in this hectic time. There are 24 hours in a day and you can't change it, but you can affect your energy level.

How can we influence our energy levels:

1) “take into account that there is a “2-tower curve”, meaning that the highest energy level is in the morning and evening. The lowest energy is between 13:00 and 17:00, during this time it is important not to make important decisions;

2) a morning and evening ritual or set of habits – stable habits that mobilize and relax.

3) The ability to play and "fool around", to remember what you liked to do as a child, what fascinated you.

Ina Gudele from the Latvian Internet Association called for making Latvia competitive through e-commerce, because there are many unused resources there: in 2018, only 40% shopped online, but sold 12-16.8%.

"It's important to learn digital skills - a person can do anything if they have motivation."

Aigars Mamis – from the brand design studio “Overpriced design practice”

Many brands are driven solely by economics - pushing the product at all costs, banners everywhere (annoying in the long run), because we are escaping the city and the intrusiveness, and it is important to integrate "the calm into advertising" and social media is your store.

When advertising a product, a suggestion:

• Let people into your daily life
• What kind of people are behind the product?
• How the product is made
• Why are you doing this project?
• There can be no impersonal pictures.
• You have knowledge that others don't have and want to share it.
• Be where the people are.
• Clean up – really, really
• Share what is real, beautiful and valuable
• Start with the guest seat and free – do it with openness, honesty, let it into everyday life