Company story:

Trade agreements are always a sweetener

Trade agreements are always a sweetener

When exporting our product outside the EU, we always look to countries with EU trade agreements before other countries.
Christos Stamatis
CEO of Stevia Hellas

The market for stevia, an artificial sweetener and zero-calorie sugar substitute, is growing worldwide and this small Greek business is poised to supply that market. Mr. Stamatis set up Stevia Hellas in 2011 and employs eight permanent and six temporary staff members. In addition, 55 farmers across Greece supply Stevia Hellas with certified organic stevia leaf. The leaf is then processed and refined in France by Stevia Natura, making this a truly European cooperative.

Their international exports story started five years ago when Stevia Hellas exhibited their products at the SIAL expo in Paris, the world’s largest food innovation exhibition. One of Kazakhstan’s main distributors, AFONOLIVA.KZ, was interested in the product and a new trade relationship was born. According to Mr. Stamatis, exporting to Kazakhstan has been “very easy” due to the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Kazakhstan. The export process is very similar to exporting within Europe.

Retailing at the right price in Kazakhstan

Mr. Stamatis estimates that their product costs 10-15% more in countries without trade agreements due to the increased paperwork required plus import duties. Doing business under a trade agreement means Stevia Hellas can compete on price in countries like Kazakhstan.

One of the advantages of a trade agreement is that EU businesses can bid for public tenders in countries with EU trade agreements. This is of interest to Stevia Hellas and they are actively pursuing tenders in Kazakhstan which will increase their exports even more.

Making connections in South Korea

In 2019, Stevia Hellas took part in the EU Gateway Business Avenues Programme, an EU-funded initiative that helps European businesses establish long-lasting collaborations with Asian countries. As part of this programme, Stevia Hellas visited South Korea and are now in the process of supplying their product to two of South Korea’s largest retail giants. Mr. Stamatis expects their non-EU exports to increase from 15% to over 30% as a result of this expansion into the South Korean market — largely facilitated by the EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Sharing success through sustainability

Christos Stamatis is also committed to sustainability and organises regular training sessions and seminars for farmers in the region on issues such as sustainable irrigation, minimising pesticides, etc.

Stevia Hellas’ European values combined with the benefits of the EU trade agreements ensure their success in markets such as South Korea and Kazakhstan. And because of its strong sense of social responsibility, a win for Stevia Hellas is a win for the local community.

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