Finding the right market and buyer for your product is the key to exporting success.

Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast’s Market Builder program can help you get started in achieving your exporting goals!

If you are looking to secure your product in an international market, find new distributors or importers, and/or receive valuable feedback about your product, the Market Builder program can help. The Market Builder program offers customized research about your product type, market segment, and regulations in an international market. This can be vital for companies exploring new international opportunities for their products.

This one-of-a-kind program is designed to fit your company’s specific needs. The program has two components, which can be used separately or together.  Learn more about each component below.

Market Scan – $450

The Market Scan component draws on our In-Market Representative’s expertise to provide in-depth market research for a specific product.

Services include:

• Store Check and Distribution Analysis: offers the brand names, packages, sizes, regular retail prices, current price specials, and shelf space allotments for similar products
• Competitive Product Shopping: first-hand information and samples of similar and competing products sold in the market
• Importation Analysis: import regulations and restrictions affecting the importation of your product into a country
• Distributor Referrals: importer feedback on packaging size, labeling, taste, appearance, price and marketability
• Target Importer List: Includes contact names/information and a brief summary of importers’ profile

Rep Finder – $550

Our In-Market Representative facilitates direct meetings in the market between your company and a select group of targeted importers.

• Distributor Referrals: importer feedback on package size, labeling, taste, appearance, price and marketability
• Target Importer List: includes contact names/information and a brief summary of importers’ profiles
• In-Market Assistance: A minimum of three one-on-one appointments (should the market allow) will be arranged with participating companies and targeted importers. An International Marketing Executive will assist in communication and interpretation and moderate meetings.

Market Builder Package $800 Package includes Market Scan & Rep Finder – savings of $200

Benefits to Your Company

• Flexible options
• Low risk way to assess the market’s climate and find out what markets have potential and what markets to avoid.
• Acquire valuable data regarding import regulations and restrictions to successfully enter the desired market
• Discover competition and sales potential within a variety of retail and distribution facilities
• One-on-one meetings with pre-qualified and interested buyers
• In-market assistance
  • Introductions
  • Translation
  • Follow-up assistance
• Cost-effectiveness
• Specific insights to drive export sales
• Market specific/product specific results – customized for you

In-Market Representatives

Food Export regularly works with a network of overseas In-Market Representatives, all around the world. They are experts in their local markets and each have wide industry experience that is vital in helping Food Export implement its programs and services.

Each representative is on top of issues, trends, opportunities, and key players in their market. Utilizing this knowledge, they conduct all the research and create the reports for the Market Scan portion of the Market Builder program. For the RepFinder service, they actively help connect suppliers of U.S. products with importers in their market who could present a good fit for the U.S. company’s products.

You can get to know our In-Market Representatives better by visiting the Bio section on the Market Builder page for each specific market.

List of Available Market Builders

Below is a list of all the markets where we currently offer the Market Builder program.

• Canada

• Anguilla
• Antiqua
• Aruba
• The Bahamas
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• Martinique
• Montserrat
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Turks and Caicos

• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua
• Panama

• China

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United Kingdom

• Hong Kong

• Japan

• Mexico

• United Arab Emirates
• Kuwait
• Bahrain
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia

• Brazil
• Chile
• Colombia
• Peru

• South Korea

• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Vietnam

• Taiwan

Success Story

In October 2022, Chicken Soup for the Soul, located in Cos Cob, Connecticut, participated in Food Export-Northeast’s Market Builder program where they met a new distributor in South Korea. As a result, they are on track to double their sales to South Korea in 2023 compared to 2022.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is a producer of pet food products that use affordable, high-quality ingredients, and that make premium nutrition accessible to every pet owner. The Connecticut company has participated in Food Export programs since 2016, taking part in the Branded Program, the Online Product Catalog, Product Showcase events, Focused Trade Missions, Food Show PLUS! events, Buyers Missions, and webinars.

Other Success Stories

Here are a few more Success Stories from other Midwest and Northeast companies who have seen great results from utilizing the Market Builder program!

Kansas Exporter Utilizes Food Export to Target New Markets

Island Creek Oysters Positioning for European Sales Re-launch When Embargo Ceases

New Exports to the UK for Vermont Supplier

Food Export’s Market Builder program helps U.S. suppliers find new distributors or importers for their U.S.-produced products. This one-of-a-kind program offers custom packages designed to each exporter’s needs and provides valuable expert feedback about their product’s potential in new international markets.

What’s Next?

Interested in learning more about the Market Builder program and how it can be useful to you and your company? Visit www.foodexport.org to be connected with a Food Export Liaison today!