27 restaurant chains added a second frozen potato product to their menu, while 4 chains in Mexico, China and SE Asia switched to a US product from a competitor source and 3 other chains upgraded to a higher specification of US product.

Frozen potatoes have all sorts of wonderful attributes.

Exports of U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to Mexico have increased more than 1,000 percent since 2000 due in part to U.S. Grains Council programs. According to Mexico’s Agricultural and Livestock Information System, Mexico imported 438,347 tons of U.S. DDGS in 2006, which is 238,971 tons more than the prior year, surpassing the European Union (316,293 tons) as the United States’ largest customer.

Five years ago, Clabber Girl was exporting to approximately 20 – 22 countries. Today, they’re shipping to 44 countries around the world. During those five years, they took advantage of exporting services provided by Food Export Association of the Midwest USA (Food Export – Midwest) and Food Export USA – Northeast (Food Export – Northeast). According to Eric Gloe, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Clabber Girl/Hulco Sales, “They’ve helped us add new countries each year. We couldn’t have done it without the support they give us.”

Creative Findings LLC is a certified import/export management company that applied for the Branded Program, administered by Food Export USA – Northeast (Food Export – Northeast) and Food Export Association of the Midwest USA (Food Export – Midwest), in 2006 to help promote their gourmet foods, sweet and savory snacks, and bagels overseas. According to Leonard Rosenblatt, Principle of Creative Findings LLC, “Using Branded Program funds we attended Restaurant and Bar Hong Kong. While at the event, we took advantage of the excellent Food Show PLUS!SM services. We met dozens of serious, large import companies including the Executive Chef and Director of Disney Hong Kong. And as of right now, a buyer we met at the show is expressing strong interest in our cheesecake products.”

For several years, Landies Candies has been a member of the Branded Program, using the financial assistance to attend tradeshows, create promotional product literature, and more. Today, thanks in part to the Branded Program, Landies Candies is selling between $300,000 – $500,000 in candy products to Canada. According to Larry Szrama, President of Landies Candies, “For years, we’ve put a big emphasis on using Branded Program funds to exhibit at tradeshows and create product literature and it’s really paying off. We were able to connect with distributors in Canada thanks to this exposure and we’re now doing very well there.”

Woeber’s Mustard used to participate in one or two tradeshows per year. That changed after the Ohio company attended a tradeshow several years ago and learned about Food Export Association of the Midwest USA (Food Export – Midwest) and Food Export USA – Northeast (Food Export – Northeast). Now, Woeber’s Mustard attends over twenty tradeshows per year, helping to expand its global presence and worldwide export sales. Rick Schmidt, VP of National Sales for Woeber’s Mustard says, “We actually choose which tradeshows to attend based on if Food Export – Midwest is supporting them with Branded Program reimbursement, Food Show PLUS!SM, or an aligned Buyers Mission. Having the support of Food Export – Midwest is a very important success factor for us.” The Branded Program has helped Woeber’s Mustard fund the creation and distribution of marketing materials at tradeshows. It’s also helped them off-set the costs associated with labeling and packaging changes, thus enabling them to sell products abroad. According to Schmidt, “I’ve seen an increase in the number of countries represented at tradeshows in the past several years. We want to be a part of that.”

During the past 4 years, the American Soybean Association-International Marketing (ASA-IM) FMD-funded Feed Program staff conducting FMD Feed Technology programs helping more than 40 Chinese feed mills to select, install and efficiently operate extruders to improve the quality of extruded full-fat soybean meal (FFSBM) and other feed ingredients.

With the use of USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) funds, the American Soybean Association-International Marketing (ASA-IM) helped Eden Vegetarian Restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica recently develop their ‘Eden Stamina’ Soy based drink that they sell from their restaurant.

U.S. cotton’s key customers in Indonesia and Thailand learned how to use cotton futures and options to manage cotton price volatility at CCI’s Cotton Price Protection and Risk Management seminars. Nearly 200 mill employees and shippers’ representatives attended the programs in Indonesia and Thailand in June 2006, held by CCI in cooperation with the New York Board of Trade (NYBOT).

APA – The Engineered Wood Association and a Ministry of Interior research institute of the Republic of China (Taiwan) have signed a memorandum of understanding for establishment of a collaborative relationship for the exchange of information related to: wood product research, building codes, material and test standards and wood-frame construction techniques.

American Softwoods has announced that BestWood – Wood Structures Material Supply in Shanghai has been contracted for the construction of a glued laminated timber bridge in the town of Zhujiajiao, southwest of Shanghai. The glued laminated timber pedestrian bridge constructed from Pacific Northwest Douglas fir spans 33 meters. Construction was completed in January 2006.

The 2006 Food Export Marketing Forum took place October 1-5, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A dynamic educational and networking event, it brought together over 40 food and agricultural companies, marketing experts from 16 countries/regions, Midwestern and Northeastern state agricultural promotion agencies, staff members from Food Export Association of the Midwest USA (Food Export – Midwest) and Food Export USA – Northeast (Food Export – Northeast), and other organizations supplying resources to help grow export sales.

Park Farms participated in the Mexico MarketBuilder program to confirm their research of the market, ensuring Mexico was a good fit for their product. The MarketScan report confirmed that their quick-frozen products had potential in Mexico. As a result of attending the MarketBuilder in Mexico and meeting with several supermarkets, the company is currently in negotiations with one of the largest chains to supply all of their individually quick-frozen chicken products.

April 12 – 13 in Washington D.C., the U.S. Small Business Administration will host Small Business Week 2006 where four major award categories will be presented. One of these coveted awards will recognize Oxbow Pet Products, a small Nebraska pet food company, as the SBA National Exporter of the Year. The award is based on several criteria, including increased export sales, profits or growth of employment, creative overseas marketing strategies, and effective solutions to export-related problems.

Northeast company finds great benefits in Food Export USA's 2006 Northeast Buyers Mission

A Brazilian bar manufacturer attended a USDEC-sponsored sports nutrition mission and seminar that was conducted at Cal Poly University.

In 2001, the U.S. Dairy Export Council identified an opportunity to highlight U.S. cheeses on an international stage through the annual World Cheese Awards.

USDEC decided to focus on media activity to support retail chains handling U.S. cup cream cheese with their steady expansion throughout the country; a TV commercial campaign in the Fukuoka area in June 2004 had also resulted in a great success.

Attacks against the U.S. dairy industry’s 3-A-Day weight loss campaign by a Harvard University professor and legal action by an animal rights organization attracted the concern of an influential member of the National Diet of Japan.

The U.S. Grains Council’s model calf-rearing facility in Morocco has produced feed and livestock sales for U.S. farmers, as part of Council efforts to expand grain availability and use in Morocco’s beef/dairy sector. The first of its kind, the feedlot serves as a business model for the 14,000 members of a regional dairy/citrus processing cooperative (COPAG) in the southeastern province of Taroudant. The aim of the project is to take the burdens of calf-rearing, feed, labor and resources off the farmer in an effort to increase milk production and expand milking herds.

A COTTON USA event held at the famous 798 Space gallery in Beijing attracted dozens of esteemed Chinese brands, not for a typical fashion show or product launch but for an innovative U.S. cotton art exhibition.

Lee Jeans in Thailand used 3,200 bales of U.S. cotton, valued at $1.1 million, in four lines of premium denim. COTTON USA promotions with Lee Jeans in Thailand led to an 8 percent year-on-year sales increase of U.S. cotton-rich denim. Lee labeled 850,000 pairs of jeans, valued at $20 million, with the COTTON USA Mark in 2007.

American Softwoods has announced the recent completion of the award-winning Shiobara Foot Spa project located in Nasu Shiobara City of Tochigi Prefecture in Japan. The hot springs spa used approximately $36,000 worth of US-sourced Douglas fir lamstock lumber. The structural material was manufactured by Warm Springs Forest Products Industries of Warm Springs, Oregon. The mill is owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation A Portland, Oregon-based company – Walsh Industries, consolidated and exported the US lumber product to Japan.

American Softwoods has announced the recent completion of the Michi no Eki Mikamo Service Station project located in Tochigi Prefecture in Japan. The highway rest station used approximately $51,000 worth of US-sourced Douglas fir lamstock lumber. The structural material was manufactured by Warm Springs Forest Products Industries of Warm Springs, Oregon. The mill is owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation A Portland, Oregon-based company – Walsh Industries, consolidated and exported the US lumber product to Japan.

Recognition of the Seal of Cotton Doubles Among Indian Consumers - Indian consumers are “cool with cotton.” CCI’s generic cotton promotion campaign in India, branded with Cotton Incorporated’s Seal of Cotton, has amplified consumer awareness of the benefits of cotton vs. synthetics.