Dawn Meats plans European presence for Cheeky brand

Gearoid Dunne, commercial director with Dawn Iberia, said the company has specifically tailored its flavour profiles to adapt the products to the German market. Speaking to Globalmeatnews.com​ at the Anuga Trade Fair in Cologne this week, he stressed the importance of tailoring a product to the end-market.

“A lot of UK companies make the error of thinking what will sell in the UK will sell in Europe. People seem to think, ‘this is the product, take it or leave it’,”​ he said.

“We’ve developed a range based on the core principles of the UK product, but we have changed it where necessary to fit the German flavour profile.”​

He said the slow-cooked market was mature within the UK, but less developed and understood within the wider EU, so there needed to be a degree of education in launching the brand. “We’re trying to teach people as well, so it’s really starting at an embryonic stage.”

The company would initially be targeting the German foodservice and retail markets before moving into the wider northern European markets, but Dunne said they would be “taking it one country at a time”.