Expanding Food & Drink brands internationally: Three approaches

Food & Drink internationally

The food & drink sector is booming with opportunities, especially in international markets like the UK. However, taking your brand global isn’t one-size-fits-all. To succeed, companies must carefully choose an internationalisation strategy that aligns with their goals, resources, and market dynamics. Whether through distributors, local sales teams, or managing from the headquarters, each approach comes with unique advantages and challenges. Here’s a breakdown of these strategies.

Distributors: Convenience with limitations

Distributors are often the first step for brands looking to expand internationally. They handle the heavy lifting of transport, warehousing, and sales through their established networks.

Pros:

• Access to an established distribution network.
• Quick market entry with logistics and sales already in place.

Challenges:

• Your product competes for attention with 100+ other brands.
• Limited control over how your brand is positioned or promoted.

Solution: Many brands pair their distributor with a dedicated local account manager. This person ensures your product isn’t just “another brand on the shelf” by building direct relationships with retailers and maintaining visibility.

Local sales team: The dedicated approach

A local sales team acts as the face of your brand in a new market. They are deeply invested in your product and can focus on building long-term relationships with retailers, distributors, and end customers.

Pros:

• Full control over your brand’s representation.
• Deeper, more personal connections with local partners.
• Opportunity to align closely with your company’s vision and values.

Challenges:

• Requires higher upfront investment.
• You’ll need time to find and train the right team members.

Solution: Boost Business specializes in building local sales teams. We connect you with Boosters: experienced local commercial professionals who share your passion and know the market inside-out. Whether it’s placing your product on UK supermarket shelves or opening partnerships with premium foodservice clients, a local sales team ensures your brand stands out.

Managing from the headquarters

Some companies prefer to oversee internationalisation directly, traveling back and forth from their home market. This approach keeps control centralized and is often used in early stages to test the waters.

Pros:

• Lower upfront costs compared to building a team.
• Full control of strategy execution.

Challenges:

• Limited on-the-ground presence means slower follow-ups.
• Cultural and market nuances may be overlooked.

Solution: While this method works for initial market exploration, having a local extension (through a sales professional or distributor partnership) can significantly improve follow-up rates, engagement, and sales velocity.

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Where Boost Business comes in

At Boost Business, we understand that every brand’s journey is unique. That’s why we offer tailored solutions to help you succeed in the UK market:

• Dedicated commercial local professionals: A dedicated Booster is paired with your product, someone with passion, expertise and a strong network. From building retail relationships to managing marketing activities, our Boosters act as your local face.
• Sales agency model: Represented within a portfolio of multiple international food & drink brands. Perfect for testing the waters, we place your product in a portfolio alongside other international brands and present it to key players in our network.
• Consultation, projects and support: Project based experts to support you with your specific request. Whether you work with distributors or travel back and forth, we ensure you have the local insights and strategy to maximise your impact.

Conclusion: What suits you best?

Choosing the right internationalisation strategy is critical to ensuring success in competitive markets like the UK. Whether through distributors, a local sales team, or managing from headquarters, each approach offers unique opportunities. Boost Business is here to guide you through the process and connect you with the local expertise needed to grow your brand.