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the fresh segment, including fingerlings and other specialty potatoes, is growing. One of the biggest impacts is Idaho’s foreign trade offices, like the one in Taiwan that was estab- lished in 1989. The director there has had a huge impact. Consider that 80% of Idaho’s white-fleshed peach crop is now exported to Taiwan. Also, the reach of Idaho’s produce products has expanded to other Southeast Asian countries. An example is the introduc- tion of Idaho-grown cherries to China.”
THE TIES THAT BIND
Trade show attendance, strategic partner- ships and trade missions are three crucial ways U.S. state departments of agriculture foster connections between in-state growers and out-of-state and overseas importers, distribu- tors and retailers. All three are key, according to Colorado State Ag’s Lipetzky, as “it takes more than one touch for forge long-lasting and strategic partnerships.”
Trade shows offer an important oppor- tunity to connect with existing partners and
convey to prospective retail partners the value of marketing under the Jersey Fresh brand, according to New Jersey secretary Fisher. “The Jersey Fresh marketing team can be found at trade shows across the United States, and we are also regulars at the Canadian Produce
Marketing Association trade show.” Michigan growers who wish to attend major trade shows, including those overseas such as Fruit Logistica in Berlin and Asia Fruit Logistica, can participate in a 50% cost reimbursement program on travel and booth space for two people as part of the state’s branded Michigan Grown program, says Zmitko-Somers. “We also assist in costs, such as bilingual labeling and advertising in retail
publications in the target country.”
The Michigan ag department, on behalf
of the state’s growers and packers, has been working with the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council for the past five years on a phytosan- itary agreement to export the Great Lakes State’s fruit to Asian markets such as China and South Korea.
Texas agency representatives and the state’s pecan growers exhibited at last year’s Gulfood Show in Dubai as part of an effort to globally expand distribution of this product, according to commissioner Miller.
Within the U.S., the Virginia agency and
n CASE STUDIES SPOTLIGHT WAYS TO BUILD INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
CASE ONE: VIRGINIA-GROWN APPLES TRAVEL TO INDIA
International successes enjoyed by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have been with specific importers and distributors, who then take the products they are importing and work through their relationships with retailers to get the products on the shelves.
Indeed, the measure of success for the agency is based on confirmed sales, new distribution partnerships for Virginia producers, increased exposure for Virginia products in a new or existing market, and increased market intelligence. In 2014, its Office of International Marketing, in conjunction with its agricultural trade representative based in India, embarked on just such a concerted effort to export apples to this South Asian country.
“We hosted a group of Indian produce buyers on a visit to Virginia to meet with our apple producers and tour their packing houses,” explains Elaine Lidholm, the state agency’s director of communica- tions. “As a result, Virginia apple exports in 2014 reached $1.67 million and were
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$1.25 million in 2015, and several of our exporters have established long term relationships with Indian buyers who are eager for a source of high-quality U.S. apples. For instance, we worked with one of the Indian apple buyers to promote Virginia apples in Indian grocery stores over a several week period. The value of these exports varies each year depending on the quality of the crop and the avail- ability of fruit; however, India is an important alternative market for Virginia apple producers, particularly in years when the crop is plentiful.”
Other export markets for Virgin- ia’s apples are in Central and South America, including Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Virginia ranks as the 6th
largest apple producing state in the U.S., according to data from the USApple Asso- ciation, Falls Church, VA.
CASE TWO: PARTNERED PROMOTIONS INCREASE SALES OF NORTH CAROLINA SWEET POTATOES IN EUROPE
Sweet potatoes were a relatively under-eaten commodity in Europe compared to the U.S. a decade ago. That’s when the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services part- nered with the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission and Bonn, Germa- ny-based marketing agency, mk2, to market this vegetable in Europe. A decade later, more than 10 years of marketing efforts such as customized marketing programs, point-of-sale materials and multilevel and multinational promotional campaigns, sweet potatoes transformed from a niche to a trending product with export volume increased by 682.5%.1
“The popularity of the North Carolina sweet potato has grown rapidly here in Europe,” says Michael Wilde, sustainability and communications manager for Eosta, an international produce distributor, based