It’s a startling statistic. Only 10% of the UK’s small and medium-sized food and drink enterprises export abroad, and yet the past two years have seen the export market for our manufactured food and drink products grow at five times the rate of domestic sales.

I’m confident this growth will continue - following a hugely successful Olympics, our reputation for quality, innovation, and trustworthy products has seldom been greater.

We know there are barriers to export, particularly for smaller businesses. Getting the know-how can be a challenge - ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ to sell abroad are daunting questions, but this is why we’ve assembled the best possible team to help.

Launched last October, Open to Export is an online community dedicated to bringing together experts from the private sector and government agencies to help SMEs thrive in markets overseas.

“Exporting has a knock-on effect on your domestic growth”

If you’re considering exporting, it should be your first port of call for researching key topics and markets, learning from best practice, and finding the information and contacts you need to reach new markets quicker and more effectively.

In the run-up to next month’s Anuga trade fair in Cologne, Monday marks the start of Open to Export’s dedicated food and drink week, featuring webinars to inspire and educate, case studies, exporting guides, events calendars and more.

The feature is the product of cross-government and industry collaboration with partners including the Food & Drink Federation, the Food & Drink Exporters Association, The Grocer, Defra and UK Trade & Investment.

The highlights of the week will be two webinars - on Tuesday from 3pm to 4pm we’ll have speakers from top tea brand Typhoo joining luxury preserves maker Hawkshead Relish for a candid discussion of their experiences of international growth, including their top tips for new exporters. On Thursday from 2.30pm to 3.30pm we’ll have speakers from Defra, UKTI and the online trading platform itradein.com sharing their expertise on regulatory requirements, the government assistance available, and the best ways of approaching new markets.

If all of this whets your appetite, then you can even receive bespoke business advice from experts via Open to Export’s dedicated Q&A forum.

The food and drink week will be complemented by the launch of UKTI’s Food is GREAT campaign, as well as the ‘Food and Drink International Action Plan’ - the government’s long-term strategy for boosting export growth in the sector.

After all, exporting has a knock-on effect on your ability to thrive domestically, too: 60% of exporting businesses say that international markets lead to fresh ideas, new innovations and new channels of investment, which they can use to grow both at home and abroad.

And the best part? Open to Export is completely free. We know you’re looking to grow, so let us help you to look in the right places. Visit opentoexport.com to get started.

Nick Baird is chief executive of UK Trade & Investment

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