Monthly Event Recap – January 2023

Food Export – Midwest and Food Export – Northeast’s mission has always been to help U.S. companies increase their export sales. One of the main ways we do that is by attending and hosting events around the globe.  

In this monthly blog we highlight everywhere we went and everything we did during January 2023! 

Pennsylvania Farm Show 
Harrisburg, PA
January 11, 2023

The 107^th Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show took place in Harrisburg from January 7-15. This year’s theme was “Rooted in Progress,” honoring Pennsylvania’s agricultural history and its vision for the future. Our Liaison, Deb Ingravallo, and our Communications Associate, Tia Regec, attended the show to meet with potential suppliers, reconnect with our state members, and attend seminars on new initiatives implemented throughout the state.

Specialty Food Buyers Mission at Winter Fancy
Las Vegas, NV
January 15-17, 2023

We hosted the first Buyers Mission of the year at the 47^th Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas. The show was a success with more than 13,000 industry participants and over 1,000 exhibiting companies.

Food Export-Northeast and Food Export-Midwest hosted international buyers from 8 different markets and 25 U.S. suppliers from the Midwest and Northeast regions. The buyers also had a chance to go on a retail tour to familiarize themselves with the U.S. food and grocery industry.  

New Hampshire State Visit
January 22-25, 2023

This January, amidst a blizzard and 14 inches of snow, Food Export-Northeast Liaison, Deb Ingravallo, conducted company visits throughout New Hampshire with state member Adam Boltik. They traveled to the headquarters of Wood Stove Kitchen, Beeline Skincare, Wholistic Pet Organic, and Mola Foods, Inc.

State visits are one of the ways that we continue to build relationships with our suppliers in the Midwest and Northeast regions. They are an opportunity for our Liaisons to meet face-to-face with our suppliers, tour their facilities, and discuss their current and future export strategies. Understanding their products and company dynamics allows us to customize their export strategy to fit their specific needs.

Value Added Feed Ingredients Buyers Mission at IPPE
Atlanta, GA
January 24-26, 2023

The 2023 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) took place this year at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, where we held our annual Value-Added Feed Ingredients Buyers Mission. IPPE is “the world’s largest annual poultry, meat and feed industry event of its kind,” making it an ideal venue for buyers and sellers to network and learn about the latest technological developments and issues facing the industry. This year, 13 U.S. companies from the animal feed industry met with 7 international buyers.

Northeast Buyers Mission
January 29-February 2, 2023

At the end of the month, Food Export-Northeast hosted the annual Northeast Buyers Mission in Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. This year’s mission included buyers from Canada, the Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Also in attendance were our In-Market Representatives from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

With 5 days on the agenda and three different stops, the Northeast Buyers Mission is a busy week, but it is a unique opportunity for international buyers to meet with a variety of suppliers from the Northeast region and for U.S. suppliers to discover new markets for their businesses. In addition to the retail tours and one-on-one meetings, participants had the opportunity to attend a tasting organized in partnership with Drexel University’s Culinary Arts & Science Institute. The tasting showcased dishes from local restaurants and reduced-waste products.