Over seven days in Tahiti, the joint PTI team met with exporters, sector associations, senior government figures and business enablers to map the opportunities — and the obstacles — facing French Polynesian businesses seeking to scale into Europe. French Polynesia is one of 16 Forum Member Countries supported by the PTI network, and its proximity to the European market through its status as an overseas collectivity of France makes it a natural bridge between the Blue Pacific and European consumers.
The mission identified several sectors with strong near-term potential for European expansion: premium vanilla, spirits, cosmetics, boating and luxury products. Engagement with Pacific Cosmetic Valley and local cosmetics producers reinforced the opportunity to position French Polynesia's natural ingredients — and the territory's distinctive cosmétopée, or pharmacopoeia of traditional plant-based beauty knowledge — within the high-value European cosmetics market.
"This mission highlighted both the quality of products coming out of French Polynesia and the clear opportunity to better connect these businesses with European markets," said Jodie Stewart, Trade Commissioner for PTI Europe.
"By strengthening relationships on the ground and identifying practical pathways to market, we are building a strong pipeline of export-ready opportunities that we can actively progress."
Alongside the commercial meetings, the delegation held high-level discussions with government representatives and the Chamber of Commerce to align PTI's activities with national priorities and surface additional businesses and sectors for support. A standout moment came in a meeting with His Excellency President Moetai Brotherson, who briefed the delegation on French Polynesia's agro-processing facility program — a government-led initiative that has become a successful incubator for local start-ups.
Under the program, government-owned sites equipped with processing and cold-storage facilities are made available to new businesses on nine-year leases at reduced cost, lowering the barriers to entry for food manufacturers and sparking a new wave of local innovation.
The delegation saw the program's results first-hand at Fenua Smart, an artisanal bakery producing retail-ready biscuits, crackers and other sweet and savoury baked goods under its Aimeho range. The business uses natural, locally-sourced Polynesian ingredients including coconut flour, taro, vanilla and honey, and credits much of its success to securing a tenancy within the agro-processing facility program.
A number of follow-up actions are now underway as a result of the mission, with PTI Europe progressing distributor searches for selected Polynesian brands seeking European retail placement, working to facilitate retail and e-commerce partnership introductions for businesses ready to scale, and arranging logistics solutions, including France-based warehousing, to help exporters move product efficiently into the European market.
The mission reflects the growing coordination across the PTI network, with PTI Europe and PTI Australia working jointly to match the specific strengths of French Polynesian exporters to the right commercial channels in Europe. With the agro-processing program already delivering investment-ready businesses, and European appetite for premium Pacific products continuing to grow, the opportunity ahead is a substantial one.
To learn more about PTI Europe's work connecting Pacific exporters with the European market, or to discuss partnership opportunities, please reach out to the PTI Europe team.
Founded in 1979, Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) is an agency of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. PTI Europe facilitates sustainable trade and investment opportunities for export and investment-ready businesses across the Blue Pacific within the European market.
