Fargo, North Dakota-based Dakota Specialty Enterprises, Inc., has participated in Food Export-Midwest’s Market Access Program funded Branded Program since 2010. The supplier’s fourteen-year participation in the program has helped this North Dakota company gain international market share for their food ingredient products.
For over 50 years, Dakota Specialty Enterprises, Inc. has been meeting the demand for grain-based mixes and ingredients. With a team of experienced millers and facilities equipped with the latest milling and blending technology, Dakota Specialty Enterprises, Inc. is a trusted supplier that delivers a consistent product, superior taste, and cost-sensitive performance.
The North Dakota company has participated in Food Export-Midwest’s Branded Program since 2010 as a means to expand its international presence. The supplier has used the program to promote its brand and products in Canada, China, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates over the past fourteen years of participation.
A couple of recent highlights from the company’s participation include, in 2023, when the supplier used allocated funding to increase brand presence in Japan and Korea. Dakota Specialty Enterprises used their allocated program funds to ship sample products to prospective buyers in both markets. Shipping samples of their processed grains and pulses helped the supplier report sales gains in Japan and Korea. Dakota Specialty Enterprises also reported earning many new foreign buyer contacts while projecting a double-digit percentage increase in sales over the next twelve months.
In 2024, Dakota Specialty participated in the program to increase its brand’s presence in three international markets: China, Japan, and Korea. The supplier used their allocated funding to ship sample products to prospective buyers, to create promotional giveaway items, conduct technical seminars, and exhibit at three trade shows.
Program participation helped Dakota Specialty earn over $260,000 in export sales to Japan and Korea, with projected sales of $370,000 to Japan, Korea, and China over the next twelve months. The North Dakota-based supplier also gained 36 new foreign buyer contacts through participation.
Food Export uses funding from the Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) Program and the Market Access Program (MAP) to help America’s small businesses increase their exports of food and agricultural products. As these exports increase, these small businesses are creating jobs and improving the strength and stability of our agricultural economy. Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast are non-profit organizations that work in collaboration with their member state departments of agriculture and the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. They offer a wide range of programs and services that help boost America’s agricultural exports.
