April 28-30, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast hosted the Food Export Marketing Forum. The event included the Food and Beverage Buyers Mission and a series of educational sessions to help U.S. suppliers gain insights into opportunities for their food and agricultural products in foreign markets and, ultimately, increase export sales. Fifty U.S. suppliers participated in the Buyers Mission, making actual on-site sales of more than $1.9 million. Of these sales, 29 were first-time export sales. Projected sales for the next 6 to 12 months were more than $3 million. In total, the companies made 261 contacts with new buyers and established 119 new distributorships.

The Buyers Mission included one-on-one meetings with pre-screened, qualified importers. The meetings enabled participants to obtain sales leads and receive valuable feedback about their product’s potential in other countries. Colby International, an export management company that represents companies in the Midwest including Lisle, Illinois, in the 13th Congressional District, as well as other parts of the U.S., participated in the Food and Beverage Buyers Mission. “Buyers Missions are a great source for new trade leads. We made new buyer contacts in Korea, Singapore, and Mexico and made an initial sale to the buyer in Korea for more than $40,000 after the Mission. We expect this to become an ongoing sale and potentially include more of our products,” explained Jason Folb, Owner of Colby International.

The Educational Sessions provided U.S. companies with information on 20 international markets and their growing demand for American products. In addition, participants met with international marketing representatives from more than 20 markets worldwide. Folb added, “The Forum was a great source for trade leads, provided a very good overview of international markets, and educated companies on the resources available to help with exporting.”

Colby International is a food export company with both brokerage and trading arrangements with U.S. suppliers and customers. They have exclusive supply agreements and access to products across both retail and foodservice channels in all temperature classes.

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.