Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast kicked off the year with a busy month. Check out all the events we hosted and attended in our monthly recap blog!  

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. In this monthly blog we highlight everywhere we went and everything we did during January 2024!    

Pennsylvania Farm Show
Harrisburg, PA
January 6-13, 2024

Deputy Director and Chief Communications Officer, Laura England, and Liaison, Deb Ingravallo, attended the 108th Pennsylvania Farm Show at the PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, PA. This is the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation, showcasing the quality and the breadth of Pennsylvania agricultural industry. 

The show also boasted a 1,000-pound butter sculpture titled “A Table for All: Pennsylvania Dairy Connects Communities.” The sculpture was carved by Conshohocken artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton, who are also responsible for 22 of the Pennsylvania butter artworks displayed since 1995. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the butter used for the sculpture was locally made and donated by Land O’Lakes from Cumberland County. After the show, the butter will be recycled, sent to Juniata County-based Reinford Farms, and turned into renewable energy in a methane digester. 

Kansas City Barbeque Society 
Kansas City, MO
January 13, 2024

The Food Export team participated in the 2024 Kansas City Barbeque Society Annual Awards Banquet in Kansas City, Missouri. Branded Program Director, Molly Burns, and Project Coordinator, Erin Crowley, had the opportunity to share insights on exporting U.S. sauces, rubs, and fuels with the help of Food Export services. 

The Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) is a nonprofit organization that promotes barbeque products by networking with related trade associations, tracking trends in barbeque-related products, and collaborating with other food organizations and the media to promote barbeque. With over 16,000 members worldwide, it is the largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts. 

Specialty Food Buyers Mission at Winter Fancy Food
Las Vegas, NV
January 20-22, 2024

 Food Export traveled to Sin City to host the first Buyers Mission of the year at the 48^th Winter Fancy Food Show in partnership with the Specialty Food Association. The show was a success with over 1,000 exhibiting companies in 40+ categories of specialty food and beverages.  

This year 10 international buyers from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Estonia, Guatemala, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Thailand, as well as 23 U.S. suppliers from the Midwest and Northeast regions attended the Buyers Mission. The buyers also had a chance to go on a retail tour to familiarize themselves with the U.S. food and grocery industry. 

Value-Added Feed Ingredients Buyers Mission at IPPE  
Atlanta, GA 
January 30, 2024 

The 2024 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) took place this year at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, where we held our annual Value-Added Feed Ingredients Buyers Mission in partnership with the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA). Food Export hosted 16 U.S. companies from the animal feed industry and 9 international buyers. IPPE is the world’s largest poultry and egg, meat, and animal industry event of its kind. The 2024 IPPE had over 1,400 exhibitors, making it an ideal venue for buyers and sellers to network and learn about the latest technological developments and issues facing the industry.