{"id":298,"date":"2026-06-13T11:11:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/2026\/06\/13\/from-italy-to-the-world-how-to-plan-the-launch-of-a-food-product-on-international-markets\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T17:33:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T15:33:14","slug":"from-italy-to-the-world-how-to-plan-the-launch-of-a-food-product-on-international-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/2026\/06\/13\/from-italy-to-the-world-how-to-plan-the-launch-of-a-food-product-on-international-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"From Italy to the World: How to Plan the Launch of a Food Product on International Markets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
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You have decided to export. You have also chosen the market\u2014perhaps thanks to our export strategy guide<\/a>. Yet, between “we have decided to export” and the first shipment leaving, an average of 9-12 months<\/strong> of real work passes. <\/p>\n

The problem is rarely the decision. It is not having a plan with deadlines. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

This guide translates strategy into an operational plan: what to do, in what order, and in how much time\u2014from product validation to the first shipment, through to market presence in the first year.<\/p>\n\n

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Why Planning Is the Part That (Almost) Everyone Skips<\/h3>\n\n

Most SMEs that “try exporting” start by contacting a potential distributor\u2014skipping everything that should come first. The result: the distributor asks for certifications that do not yet exist, a multilingual technical data sheet is missing, and packaging is non-compliant. Weeks of waiting turn into months, and the distributor’s interest fades before you are ready. <\/p>\n\n

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Sequence matters more than speed.<\/p>\n

Arriving ready for the first commercial contact is worth more than arriving first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The Roadmap: 5 Phases in 12 Months<\/h3>\n\n

A realistic sequence for a food SME tackling export for the first time\u2014adaptable based on resources and product. If you have not yet defined the product and target market, start with the strategic guide<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Months 1-3 \u2014 Validation and Product Dossier.<\/strong> Product verification for the target market (packaging, shelf life, necessary certifications), preparation of multilingual technical data sheets, and export documentation. Output: Product dossier ready to be shown to a buyer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Months 3-5 \u2014 Search for Distributors and Importers.<\/strong> Identification and first contact with potential partners, through trade fairs, ICE (Italian Trade Agency), and direct contacts. Output: Qualified list of 5-10 potential partners.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Months 5-7 \u2014 Negotiation and First Contract.<\/strong> Definition of commercial terms, pricing, performance clauses, and minimum purchase requirements. Output: First signed agreement.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Months 7-9 \u2014 First Order and Logistics.<\/strong> Production, export packaging, shipping, and customs management. Output: First shipment delivered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Months 9-12 \u2014 Presence and Monitoring.<\/strong> First market visit, participation in a sector trade fair, monitoring sell-in\/sell-out, and preparation of the second order. Output: Consolidated relationship and real sales data.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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The 2 Most Frequent Timing Errors<\/h3>\n\n

\u2460 Starting the search for distributors before having the dossier ready.<\/strong> The first contact is also the most important: if you do not have documentation, technical data sheets, and certifications ready, you risk losing the interest of a buyer who will not wait weeks for your documents.<\/p>\n\n

\u2461 Underestimating certification timelines.<\/strong> Some certifications require weeks or months (Halal, Kosher, FDA registration for the USA). They should be started in months 1-3, not when a distributor requests them\u2014at that point, it is too late. <\/p>\n\n

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Do you want the complete roadmap?<\/p>\n

Download the extended PDF version: document checklist by phase, detailed timelines for each step, and KPIs to monitor month by month.<\/p>\n Download the complete guide \u2192<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n

Or speak to us directly about your project<\/a> \u2014 without obligation.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You have decided to export. You have also chosen the market\u2014perhaps thanks to our export strategy guide. Yet, between “we have decided to export” and the [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":299,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-export-guides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":301,"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions\/301"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cibusexport.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}