Firstly, welcome to 2020! It has come fast! It doesn’t seem long ago when 2020 was some futuristic year which we may or may not see! Well, it is nearly here, and futuristic it is, with all that is being developed, XAI (Expandable Artificial Intelligence) , self driving cars, blockchain, 3D printing, Drone Taxis, shooting for Mars, Impossible burgers…. That gets me to the point that interests me most, food! We might be overlooking the gains made in food, arguably the most important resource on the planet. Without food we can’t live, we can’t make our dreams come true. 
So what have we seen in food over 2019 and what is the trend? There are three overriding words which I think explain it. HEALTHY SUSTAINABLE FOODS. This can be real or perceived, such as Impossible Burgers, Organic Products, Free from Foods, Healthy Convenience Foods and Healthier Fast Foods, Protein Balls/Bars, Meal Kits for home cooking, and products that use food waste. ‘New’ Ancient grains will be ‘found’, teff, millet, faro, spelt, freekeh to name a few. The ‘superfoods’ of the last decade such as chia and quinoa are finding their value in mass market products and becoming more mainstream as multinationals include them as they become much more than a fad, but rather a sustainable healthy alternative. New protein sources mainly plant based, (beans and pulses), but also insect proteins such as cricket powder… and the alternative flours such as cassava flour, banana flours for better gut health. Oh and what about A2 milk, organic wine, nut based butters etc ………? Food is so fun, so vast! We can’t expand much longer in this short overview, but we must touch on one more thing. 
Sustainable Foods are vital and we will see new varieties of rice and wheat and eco-friendly crops, using less water, needing no chemicals and with higher yields (see a more in-depth report later in this article).
From Tradelink, stand by and watch this space for our new products and initiatives. We have been working hard to make the customer experience more seamless, while smoothing out the complexities of South America, so you can enjoy the benefits of buying direct. Expansions in our Australian Office, and our new company in United States will benefit our customers everywhere.
So once again, thank you! Thank you to our customers, thank you to our service providers and growers that make our business possible, thank you to our Team and stakeholders. 2019 was a special year (25 years since the South American office was opened). It has been an exciting ride, we had our rough and tumbles, our highs and lows, but here we are looking forward to a new decade and shooting for the stars! We hope you will join us for the ride.
Yours Sincerely
Mark Steele and the Team
