The National Support Centre for Agriculture (KOWR) commenced the international agri-food trade fair season in mid-January by participating in the Internationale Grüne Woche (Green Week) in Berlin. This year’s edition of the prestigious food, agriculture, and horticulture trade fair took place from 17 to 26 January. With a history spanning nearly a century, the event attracts exhibitors from around the globe, and Poland was once again among them. This is especially significant given that Germany is Poland’s primary food export market within the EU.
Under the slogan “Polen schmeckt” (“Poland Tastes Good”), KOWR’s national stand showcased products from nine Polish entrepreneurs. Visitors to the Berlin fair had the opportunity to purchase and savour a range of Polish specialities, including dairy products (curd, cheese, buttermilk, kefir), fish and fish products (herring, sprats, cod liver), soups made with sourdough starters (sour cereal soup, horseradish soup, white and red borscht), apiculture products, snack bars and treats made from dried fruits and nuts, dried fruits and vegetables, chocolate-covered fruits, dumplings, and unpasteurised beers.
The Polish national stand also hosted daily tastings and live cooking demonstrations led by Polish chefs, offering visitors a chance to explore the flavours of Polish cuisine in both its traditional and modern forms.
The stand was officially opened on 17 January by Czesław Siekierski, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, accompanied by Leszek Iwaniuk, Deputy Director General of KOWR. During the event, Minister Siekierski welcomed Cem Özdemir, Germany’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, and Kai Wegner, the Mayor of Berlin, to the Polish stand. He also held numerous bilateral meetings with agriculture ministers from EU Member States and third countries attending the accompanying Global Forum for Food and Agriculture.
During the fair’s opening weekend, the stand featured special guests from the “Feniks” Women’s Rural Circle (Koło Gospodyń Wiejskich Noskowo-Radomice-Strzyżewo) from Wielkopolskie Voivodeship. The group won the final of the 9th edition of the national culinary competition “Battle of the Regions”, organised in 2024 by the MARD and the KOWR. The Circle prepared traditional Polish dishes for visitors, including pyry z gzikiem (potatoes with a creamy curd topping) and dumplings filled with goose meat, cabbage, and mushrooms.
In addition to KOWR’s stand, Poland was also represented at Grüne Woche 2025 by the Marshal Offices of Dolnośląskie, Wielkopolskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeships, as well as individual businesses exhibiting independently.
Held in the exhibition halls of Messe Berlin, the event has long attracted significant interest from Berliners and visitors from outside the city. It provides an excellent opportunity, particularly for small entrepreneurs, to present their products directly to consumers from beyond Poland’s western border.
