A dollarised economy with no currency risk for foreign suppliers. Covers how hotels and restaurants are supplied, import requirements and a directory of Ecuadorian importers and distributors.
Ecuador is a dollarised economy of some 18.3 million inhabitants, with a median age close to 29 and roughly two-thirds urban population. Dollarisation removes currency risk for the foreign supplier, an unusual factor in the region. Total agricultural imports run at around USD 4.3 billion a year, of which about USD 1 billion is consumer-oriented food; the main suppliers are Chile (~21%), Colombia (~17%), Peru (~10%) and the United States.
Retail trade is estimated at around USD 27 billion, with a growing share for modern supermarkets, and tourism is the main growth driver of the channel, with around 1.4 million international arrivals. This study sets out the market's volume and structure, the distribution channels and their operators, the access and certification requirements according to the supplier's origin and the categories with the best prospects, and includes a directory of Ecuadorian importers and distributors in the HORECA channel.
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