Rastelli Foods Corp. of Swedesboro, NJ in the 1st Congressional District, has participated in the Gulfood Food Show for the past four years. Their first year at the show the company learned about Food Export-Northeast and three years ago started exhibiting at Gulfood using the Branded Program. The company has sold a total of $400 million in product to the Middle East. In the last three years they have seen a double digit growth in sales including two new sales from the 2009 Gulfood Show to Jordan and Qatar each for $8-$12 million per year. David McClendon, Director of Marketing for Rastelli said, “Thanks to our participation in the Branded Program, we were able to secure and confirm new customers in the Middle East region. We strongly believe that Gulfood Show is the show which we would always want to be in as it helps us meet with our customers as well as exhibit our new brand and concepts.”

As a result of their export sales, Rastelli has their manufacturing schedules and have hired 30 new employees. They have also added 8 new employees to their Global Export Division.

Rastelli Foods has been in the food management business since 1976. The company services hotels, restaurants, institutions, and retail markets with a variety of foods and services through its food, global and seafood business units. 

Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast are private, non-profit associations of Midwestern and Northeastern state agricultural promotion agencies that use federal, state, and industry resources to promote the export of Midwestern and Northeastern food and agricultural products. Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast administer many services through Market Access Program (MAP) funding from the USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service.