Success Stories

In April of 2018, Bella Lucia Inc., located in Altoona, Pennsylvania attended Food Export – Northeast’s Focused Trade Mission in Toronto for Specialty and Natural Products. During the mission they had the opportunity to make close connections with buyers from Canada. They are actively communicating with a buyer seeking to expand exports to this market in 2019.

Pop Daddy Popcorn, LLC., located in Whitmore Lake, Michigan of the 7th Congressional District makes first export sales into Canada. The company participated in the Focused Trade Mission to Toronto for Specialty and Natural Products, organized by Food Export and coordinated by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in September of 2018.

In February 2018, four companies from the Midwest and Northeast, exhibited at the Japanese Supermarket Show where they utilized Food Export’s Food Show PLUS!™ services.

North Bay Produce from Traverse City, Michigan utilized Food Export’s Branded Program funding in 2017 to increase exports of their blueberries and apples to Japan and Hong Kong. Taking advantage of the 50% reimbursement through the Market Access Program funded Branded Program helped North Bay gain 10 new contacts in Japan and 15 new foreign buyer contacts in Hong Kong.

Epicore Networks, located in Eastampton, New Jersey, in the 3rd Congressional District, utilized Food Export’s 2017 Branded Program to offset promotional activities and trade show costs by 50%.

In 2017, Fortified Nutrition, located in Germantown, Wisconsin, in the 5th Congressional District, utilized Food Export’s Branded Program which assisted in connecting them with a buyer from Canada. In February, they made a sale of their product worth $15,000. This sale also marked their first export sale to Canada.

In September of 2017, Ready Nutrition attended Food Export’s Natural Products Buyers Mission at the 2017 Natural Products Expo East Show. There Pat Cavanaugh, President of the Pennsylvania based company, along with Nolan Cavanaugh, Marketing, met with nine international buyers to introduce to them his line of snack bars, dietary supplements and protein water.

In late June 2018, The Run-a-Ton Group, located in Chester, New Jersey in the 7th Congressional District, attended the Specialty Food Buyers Mission at the 2018 Summer Fancy Food Show where they were introduced to a buyer from Spain. In one month (almost to the day), two pallets of frozen dessert items were purchased by the buyer and arranged to ship from the U.S. East Coast in a previously scheduled container.

Established in 1980, International American Supermarket Corp. (IAS) is a dynamic food export and marketing organization representing a number of major U.S. brands in overseas markets. With a uniquely flexible handling capacity and a product base of over 2,000 products under 50 brands, I.A.S. Corp. caters to the retail, food service and ingredient market segments.

Rastelli Global, located in Swedesboro, New Jersey, in the 1st Congressional District, utilized Food Export’s Market Access Program (MAP) funded Branded Program to contribute marketing efforts in Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates.

Earlier in the year, Northeast and Midwest companies had an opportunity to meet with international buyers from 17 countries spanning the globe through participation in Food Export’s Northeast Buyers Mission. This Buyers Mission provided participants an opportunity to take part in pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings in either Boston, New York or Philadelphia. A few months prior to the meetings, each company reviewed buyer profiles and selected buyers of interest to them. The participants spent time in advance preparing for their meetings through assistance from Food Export services such as the Food Export Helpline™. The buyers came looking for new, unique, innovative and high-quality products and they were not disappointed.

In 2017, The Bacon Jams, from West Chester, Pennsylvania, participated in Food Export’s Market Access Program (MAP) funded Branded Program. This was the third year the company participated in the program.

In 2017, American Premium Foods, located in Omaha, Nebraska, in the 2nd Congressional District, attended SIAL Middle East by utilizing their allocated Food Export Branded Program funds. At the show they established two new distributor relationships with buyers from United Arab Emirates. In December 2017, they made sales of Chefkom processed and smoked beef products worth $200,000.

In 2018, Rosina Food Products, Inc., located in Buffalo, New York, in the 26th Congressional District, participated in Food Export’s Rep Finder program offered through the Market Builder service. With assistance from Food Export’s In-Market Representatives, Rosina Food, was able to secure USD$100,000.00 in sales as a result of the activity. Representatives from Rosina Food traveled to Chile to meet with 3 foreign buyers. As a result of these meetings, Rosina Food will soon gain a trading partner in the Chilean market.

In August 2017, Minhas Craft Brewery, located in Monroe, Wisconsin, in the 2nd Congressional District, attended the 2017 Midwest Buyers Mission. During the mission, the craft brewery met with buyers from Europe, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

In 2017, Lobster Trap, Inc., located in Bourne, Massachusetts, traveled to Brussels, Belgium to take part of the Seafood Expo Global. The Seafood Expo Global is of particular importance to Lobster Trap, as the three day event serves as the annual meeting place for export contacts all over the world.

In 2017, Vectra Trading, Inc., located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, participated in Food Export’s Branded Program, which resulted in the creation of 35 new buyer contacts as well as sales of their bread and liquid oil products over $1,000,000 to the United Arab Emirates.

Utilizing funds from the Market Access Program (MAP) funded Branded Program has helped Smith & Salmon, Inc. from Burlington, Vermont expand their export business to Canada in 2017. Using their allocated funds to promote their SAP! beverage products in the market with promotional literature and in-store sampling helped increase brand awareness and grow sales.

2017 was the first year that Germantown, Wisconsin based Isle of Dogs Corporation participated in the Market Access Program (MAP) funded Food Export Branded Program. Focused on gaining market share in China, the Supplier utilized their allocated funding to promote their premium dog products in the fastest growing market in the pet industry.

In January of 2018, Legally Addictive Foods, LLC from Brooklyn, New York attended Food Export’s Northeast Buyers Mission. There they met with buyers from eight different international markets to introduce to them their unique “Crack Cookies”.