Colombian fruit creates jobs in Luxembourg Colombian fruit an essential ingredient in Luxembourg firm's growth

The EU-Colombia trade agreement facilitiated access to the Colombian market for European companies, and vice versa.The agreement enabled TUKI to begin as a business, now selling 40 000 bottles each year.

Colombia produces a wide variety of types of fruit yet many are little known to European consumers. Luxembourger Harald-Sven Sontag’s Colombian origins and knowledge of the South American country gave him the idea of helping Europeans to discover the delights of guanabana, lulo, mora and other Colombian fruit.

In 2014, he founded TUKI, which produces and sells Colombian fruit juice. His timing was perfect as the previous year the EU had signed a trade deal with Colombia and Peru. The agreement has made it easier for European firms to do business with the two countries. This has been instrumental in enabling TUKI to grow.

The TUKI range now includes five juice flavours. They are entirely natural and contain no colouring or preservatives.

To ensure the juice keeps its flavour and nutritional quality, TUKI uses a method called 'Pascalisation'. The juice is processed under very high pressure so as to stop deterioration caused by organisms such as yeast, mould and bacteria.

TUKI sells 40 000 bottles of juice a year through shops and directly to consumers online. The juice is on sale in Luxembourg, Belgium, France and Germany. Sales outside of Luxembourg account for 20% of turnover and Harald-Sven is now aiming to double sales.

Helped by the EU’s trade deal and with its rising popularity requiring ever larger quantities of fruit, TUKI is planning to source fruit directly from Colombian producers. Buying directly will help increase profits and enable Harald-Sven to further expand his company, including hiring two more people by the end of 2016.

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TUKI exports to three countries in Europe, representing 20% of turnover.

"When I launched the business my ambition was, from the outset, to provide fruit directly from Colombian producers. I was helped by the free trade agreement between Colombia and the EU as it facilitates and greatly reduces administrative and customs procedures.”

The EU Trade Agreement with Colombia and Peru

The EU’s trade agreement with Colombia and Peru entered into force in 2013. It lowered trade barriers to boost the competitiveness of businesses both large and small. It has been forecasted to result in total tariff savings for European and Andean companies of more than 500 million per year. Discover more about the EU’s trade relations with Colombia and Peru: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/regions/andean-community/ Check out more examples of small businesses that export from the EU: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/exporter-stories

TUKI sells 40,000 bottles of fruit juice, a year. The goal is to double sales by the end of 2016.

Sven-Harald Sontag, TUKI’s founder and CEO

Did you know? Exports from the EU support 31 million jobs for Europeans. In 2015, Luxembourg exported goods to Colombia worth 6.2 million while imports were valued at 265 000.