Building Blocks to Help Seafood Suppliers Export Overseas

At Food Export–Northeast our goal is to provide many of the building blocks that help suppliers successfully export seafood products overseas. These include a suite of top-of-the-line services that make growing and sustaining export opportunities easier than ever. Below are five services we have available including two new, recently launched services.

• Virtual Consultations (NEW!): When developing foreign market export and expansion plans, it’s common to have questions that are hard to answer without market knowledge. Our Virtual Consultations service allows suppliers to connect directly with our In-Market Representatives in 30-minute one-on-one sessions. Suppliers submit their questions in advance to ensure that every minute of the session is customized and useful for customers. During these sessions, our In-Market Representatives will help you gain export confidence and maximize your in-market activities. Food Export–Northeast has 19 In-Market Representatives covering the top global export markets. Register today to get started with your first Virtual Consultation.

• Lead Qualification (NEW!): If you’re having trouble qualifying foreign buyer leads generated through trade shows or other business activities, consider using Food Export–Northeast’s Lead Qualification program. Using market research and data available from our In-Market Representatives, this service provides suppliers with buyer reports so that you can better determine if a lead is worth pursuing. Learn more about the service and register today to start qualifying your leads.

• Food Export Helpline™: No matter what level of exporting experience you have, the Food Export Helpline™ provides callers with knowledge and expertise from our seafood professionals who have 34 years of experience. Their customized advice covers everything from export readiness for newbies, to compliance procedures for the more experienced exporters. Whether it’s a one-off question, or a request for long-term support, callers can feel comfortable asking a breadth of questions like below:
  • Does my product have any potential in other countries?
  • What are the best markets for my product?
  • How do I calculate export prices based on terms of sale?
  • What are the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) compliance procedures?

  If you’re not sure how to tackle overseas trade, give our team a call and we can talk you through the necessary steps to grow your export business.

• Market Builder: Finding the right market and buyers for your product is key to exporting but can be challenging for suppliers to achieve without support. Suppliers who are looking to export, find new buyer partnerships, or receive valuable feedback about their product’s marketability, can take advantage of the Market Builder service to help grow their business. The Market Builder program has two components including:
  • Market Scan – In-depth market research for specific seafood products
  • Rep Finder – Facilitates a minimum of three one-on-one meetings in your market of interest between your company and interested buyers

  Utilize the Market Builder program to start and/or continue expanding your seafood exports in new markets today.

• Branded Program: The Branded Program is an application-based, easy-to-use cost-sharing program designed to reimburse qualifying food companies up to 50% of their promotional and marketing costs. With the ability to stretch their export marketing dollars, seafood companies are able to think outside of the box and try new tactics to build awareness. In 2019, this program awarded 30 seafood suppliers a total of $1.1 million. The funding has been used to learn about exporting, attend trade shows, create new product packaging, and secure in-market promotional support. See if you qualify by applying today.

Instead of tackling the competitive world of seafood exports alone, contact Food Export–Northeast today to learn what services are the best fit for you and we’ll work together to help you achieve your 2020 business goals.

About Food Export USA—Northeast

With its extensive programs and educational offerings, Food Export USA–Northeast (Food Export–Northeast) is recognized as the preeminent expert and cost-effective resource for Northeast seafood and agricultural suppliers looking to sell their products overseas. Founded in 1973, Food Export–Northeast is a non-profit organization that works collaboratively with its 10 member states’ agricultural promotion agencies from Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, to facilitate trade between suppliers and worldwide importers and to promote the export of food, agricultural and seafood products from those states. Since its founding, the organization has helped Northeast seafood suppliers gain access to a broad range of export markets, supported overseas in-market educational and promotional programs and offers emerging suppliers access to funds to help grow their export business. The organization is funded through the Market Access Program (MAP), administered by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

Learn more about us and what we do for the Northeast seafood industry here.  Contact us.