Now that the world is getting back to ‘normal’ and we are going back to in-person events we thought it would be a good time to bring back our Monthly Recap Blog!
In this blog we will highlight the events we attended and hosted last month.
Food Export – Midwest and Food Export – Northeast’s mission has always been to help U.S. companies increase their export sales. One of the main ways we do that is by attending and hosting events around the globe.
Take a look at everywhere we went and everything we did during April 2022 below!
Marketing Directors Meeting
Chicago, Illinois
April 6 – 7, 2022
The first week of April we held our annual Marketing Directors Meeting for Midwest State Members in Chicago at the Drake Hotel. This annual meeting was a one and a half-day event that brought together our State Members from all over the Midwest.
The meeting featured guest presentations from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) as well as Food Export – Midwest staff presentations.
Indiana based bNutty Gourmet Peanut Butter also joined us for the event to talk about their export successes from utilizing our programs and services. These meetings are always a great opportunity for all of our Midwest state members to network, learn, and plan together for the upcoming year.
Tim Hamilton, Executive Director/CEO of Food Export-Midwest kicks off the meeting.
Our FAS Marketing Specialist Teresina Chin makes a virtual presentation at the meeting.
Special guest supplier bNutty from Indiana gives a presentation about their export success after utilizing Food Export – Midwest’s programs and services.
From left to right, Tim Hamilton, Executive Director/CEO, Food Export – Midwest, Joy Thompkins, Carol Podolak, and Amy Parker of bNutty Gourment Peanut Butter, and Molly Burns, Branded Program Manager, Food Export – Midwest gather for a group picture after the bNutty presentation.
Program Committee Meeting
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 12 – 13, 2022
The second week of April we continued our annual state member meetings with the Program Committee Meeting for Northeast State Members in Philadelphia at the Cambria hotel.
Once again, the meeting featured guest presentations from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) as well as Food Export – Northeast staff presentations.
Our guest supplier speakers, Meal Mantra from Massachusetts and Health Enhanced Foods from New Jersey joined us virtually through recorded presentations about their export successes.
We feel very excited after two weeks of meetings with our state members and look forward to October when we can have all of them together in one place in our annual Fall Member State Meeting!
RJ Karney, Senior Director, Public Policy, NASDA gives a presentation about what to expect in the upcoming Farm Bill.
Caroline Egbelu from Health Enhanced Foods gives a virtual interview with Food Export – Northeast Liaison Deborah Ingravallo
ANUFOOD Brazil
Food Show PLUS!
Sao Paulo, Brazil
April 12 – 14, 2022
The reason that Caroline from Health Enhanced Foods couldn’t join us in person at the PC Meeting in Philadelphia this year (see post above) is because they were in Brazil at ANUFOOD participating in our Food Show PLUS! program!
Our In-Market Representatives for Brazil also attended the show where they assisted U.S. suppliers with everything from making new connections, to vetting and qualifying international buyer leads.
Want to see what other international trade shows are making a comeback in 2022 that we are offering Food Show PLUS! at, then visit this page.
Health Enhanced Foods at their booth on the trade show floor with our In-Market Representatives for Brazil and others.
Health Enhanced Foods at their booth promoting their products.
SIAL Canada
Food Show PLUS!
Montreal, Canada
April 20 – 22, 2022
SIAL Canada is also back this year! We had three staff members attend the show along with our In-Market Representative for Canada to help support our Food Show PLUS! participants.
This was the first major trade show in Canada to take place since the beginning of the pandemic and it was great to see everyone back in the swing of things. As always Canada is a very popular market for many U.S. products for a variety of reasons including:
Kathy Boyce, In-Market Representative for Canada, and Katie LaBarge, Branded Program Associate for Food Export – Midwest setting up the Food Export booth on the trade show floor.
The USA Pavilion Lounge, right behind the Food Export booth on the show floor.
A look at another section of the show floor dedicated to US cheese products.
Teresa Miller, Strategic Partnerships Manager, Food Export – Midwest & Food Export – Northeast (left) meeting with Cathy Feigh, Acting Console General of the US Consulate Montreal (middle) and Aurelia Delibashi, Agricultural Marketing Specialist, US Consulate Montreal (right) on the show floor.
Seafood Expo Global
Barcelona, Spain
April 26 – 28, 2022
For the first time ever the annual Seafood Expo Global show was held in Barcelona, Spain! The show previously took place in Brussels and was supposed to move to Barcelona in 2020 but has been postponed for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was great to see the return of such an important and vibrant show for the seafood industry.
We had 11 U.S. suppliers from the Northeast that travelled to Spain for the show and had a booth in our pavilion. Several members of our staff made the trip as well as our State Members from Massachusetts and Maine and our Seafood In-Market Representatives.
After Seafood Expo North America taking place in Boston earlier this year this was a great event to help get the seafood industry back on track after the pandemic.
A look at the Food Export – Northeast booth on the show floor.
From left to right, Tim Hamilton, Executive Director/CEO, Food Export – Northeast, Bonita Oehlke, Foreign Trade Specialist, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Apryl King, Liaison, Food Export – Northeast, Andrew Haught, International Marketing Program Manager, Food Export – Northeast, Colleen Coyne, Seafood Coordinator, Food Export – Northeast, Jeff Bennett, Senior Trade Specialist, Maine International Trade Center, and Felipe Macias, In-Market Representative for Seafood in France and Spain, Food Export – Northeast.
A fun photo op for lobster enthusiasts at the show.