A Dominican importer, Italian native, of Made in Italy products states: โ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ but getting it to foreign markets is not easy if there is no support from public institutions with Fairs, Promotions, Communication Campaigns to tell the superior quality of Italian productsโ.
๐๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐พ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ท๐ธ and his wife (and partner) ๐ก๐พ๐ฝ๐ฑ ๐๐ช๐ป๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ช have been importers of Italian products in Santo Domingo since 2009, with the company Special Food. They deal with dry products that do not require refrigeration, for the moment, but they will give us an overview of the potential and difficulties of a market that seems small but that would allow enormous profits for Made in Italy products, if some institutional support were present.
๐น๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐?
Initially there was a lot of confusion about both the documentation and the permits that regulated the import. There were improvised importers who thought they could speculate on the exchange rate between the peso and the euro and on the relative ease of earning on the price differences with the import of our products.
๐น๐ฏ๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐โ๐?
Today, if you want to import, you must have a series of mandatory certifications that the exporting company in Italy must provide you with and other documentation for each individual product you import, even if it only needs to change the packaging. Each product must be registered with Salud Publica by us, the importers, but it must already arrive here with a series of documentation, analyses and declarations that are needed for export.
๐น๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐?
Currently we do not import wines, spirits, or fresh products that require refrigeration. This requires appropriate logistics. 24/7 refrigerated warehouses and also refrigerated transport and delivery. This will be our step in the coming years to import wine and cured meats.
RIght now, we import all dry products: pasta, rice, olive oil, canned vegetables, flour, peeled tomatoes… Christmas products, panettone, nougat…
๐น๐จ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐
, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
During Covid there were increases of 80-90%. Now we are almost returning to pre-Covid normality. The increases have remained but in the order of 10-15% more.
๐น๐ต๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐?
For the most part, yes, but not for everything. There are products like extra virgin olive oil that have seen production increases of 70-80%.
๐น๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐?
To address customers with different needs, we do not limit ourselves to import one or two products but the widest possible range. The downside of that is that we have to make a health register for each product. Even if the content is the same but the packaging is not, you have to make a different license for each package. And if after a year the company changes the packaging, I have to get a new license even if the product is identicalโฆ
๐น๐ฏ๐๐ ๐
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐?
We organize tastings with customers and restaurateurs to explain the differences. We have already done 5. We do them in restaurants. If we didn’t do it, it would be impossible to understand.
๐น๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
We lack the support of Italian institutions, Chambers of Commerce. For example, organizing Fairs, Events, sending an Italian chef who we don’t need to pay for Italian tasting events.