First In-Person Trade Mission From Europe to Mexico in 2021

In November 2021, Mexico will welcome the first in-person trade mission from Europe since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trade mission will consist of nine companies from the region of Flanders, Belgium, that will be visiting Mexico from Nov. 7-10. This trade mission, called Start2Export2 Mexico, is the first trade mission from Belgium to Mexico since the large Belgian Economic Mission to Mexico of February 2019, in which more than 120 Belgian companies participated. This upcoming trade mission will undoubtedly raise Mexico’s profile and solidify its position as Belgium’s second-most important client in Latin-America. The program of the Start2Export2Mexico trade mission will include business-to-business meetings, company visits, workshops and a networking event.   

The following nine companies are participating in this multisectoral trade mission: Dredging International (dredging, land reclamation and hydraulic engineering services), Innesto Group (premium spreads and snacks and bakery ingredients), Labo Phytophar (nutritional supplements), Primoris Belgium (residue and contaminant analysis for Mexican agri-food exporters),  Réé (compostable, biodegradable coffee capsules), Sioen (membranes for architectural projects, tents and pergolas), Unitron (communication solutions for TV and data distribution on telecom platforms), VDB Frozen Food (frozen waffles and ice-cream) and Zingametall (galvanic protection for steel structures). The Belgian business delegation will be accompanied by a representative of VOKA (Chamber of Commerce of Flanders). More details about every participating company can be found here: Start2Export2Mexico.

The timing for this trade mission could not be better as bilateral trade between Mexico and Belgium has recently been rebounding in a spectacular way. In the first half of 2021, Mexican exports to Belgium rose 35 percent and Belgian exports to Mexico increased 38.5 percent compared to 2020. In fact, Belgian exports to Mexico are already above pre-COVID levels and increased more than 12 percent in the first six months of 2021 compared to 2019. It is expected that trade between Flanders and Mexico will continue to flourish in the coming years, thanks to excellent logistical connections between the Mexican ports of Veracruz and Altamira and the seaports of Antwerp-Zeebrugge and North Sea Port (Ghent) in Flanders.

The number of companies from Flanders that have a footprint in Mexico also continued to grow in 2021. Anticipating the entering into force of the new European Union and Mexico trade agreement and the investment protection this agreement will offer, several companies from Flanders have opened new facilities in the country. In 2021, Facil, a full-service provider for fastening technologies for the automotive industry, opened a new factory near Monterrey; several IT-tech companies from Flanders are also taking advantage of Mexico’s highly skilled talent pool and have set up shop in Mexico: Deliverect, a fast-growing SaaS scale-up from Flanders that connects third-party delivery platforms and food businesses, opened an office in Mexico City; EyeSee, one of the fastest-growing behavioral research companies in the world, opened a branch in Mexico City and marketing technology (martech) company Hashting set up a prospection office, also in Mexico City.

In total, more than 50 companies from Flanders now have operations in Mexico, in sectors that include automotive, food and beverages, healthcare, textile, agro-industry, building and construction, IT and tech, and renewable energy.

Mexican companies that wish to contact the participants of the upcoming trade mission from Flanders, to connect with business partners in Flanders or Brussels or that are interested in doing business in Flanders are invited to contact the office of Flanders Investment & Trade in Mexico at: mexico@fitagency.be