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Trade Leads

Get your export products noticed by international buyers

Online Product Catalog

Sign up for our Online Product Catalog at no charge!

Food Export has built an online database of thousands of U.S. companies and products that are available for export. Our network of In-Market Representatives (IMRs) around the world have access to this database. As they meet with qualified international buyers throughout the year they can log into the database and search for the products that a prospective buyer is looking to import. When a match is found the buyer will receive info about the company and products and the supplier will receive an email with a trade lead showing the buyer info and what products they are interested in.

Want your products to be included in our Online Product Catalog so you can receive qualified trade leads from interested importers?

As our IMRs are utilizing this service on a regular basis it is important for participating suppliers to log onto our website and make sure that their online product catalog profile with product listings and information is as up to date and accurate as possible.

This approach helps buyers find suitable products and suppliers that align with their requirements.

How are Trade Leads Generated?

Trade leads are generated through inquiries from foreign buyers seeking U.S. products, often initiated by International Marketing Representatives (IMRs) or Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) posts.

These requests typically come from entities already known to the buyers.

Additionally, trade leads can arise from trade events, such as trade shows, where IMRs and FAS posts conduct buyer verification to ensure the legitimacy of the inquiries before sharing any information.

Once verified, IMRs and FAS posts submit a trade lead to Food Export.

It’s important to note that we perform basic buyer verification prior to sharing any trade lead with our suppliers. Keeping up to date photos of your products is vitally important as well when introducing them to international buyers.

When we receive these requests, Food Export searches our supplier database to find matching suppliers for the specific product inquiries.

We then notify the corresponding U.S. suppliers of the trade lead, encouraging them to respond directly to the buyer.

A qualified foreign buyer typically goes through the following steps when looking to purchase from a company:

Explore company profiles: They review the pages of various companies to understand the range of products and services available.

Search using product categories or keywords: They use search tools to filter options by specific product types or keywords to find what matches their needs.

Reach out for more information: Once they identify products of interest, they contact the supplier to ask questions, request further details, or discuss the next steps in the purchasing process.

 

 

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To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online https://www.ascr.usda.gov/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer.

Food Export–Midwest and Food Export–Northeast reserve the right to deny services to any firm or individual which, in the sole opinion of Food Export–Midwest and Food Export–Northeast, does not comply with FAS, MAP or Food Export–Midwest and Food Export–Northeast regulations or policies, or otherwise offer the best opportunity to achieve its mission of increasing food and agricultural exports. Submission of any false or misleading information may be grounds for rejection or subsequent revocation of any application or participation. Food Export–Midwest and Food Export–Northeast are equal opportunity employers and providers.