In 2022, Blackwood Pet Food, LLC participated in Food Export-Midwest’s Branded Program to gain brand awareness in China, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, and Taiwan. The Lisbon, Ohio-based supplier used their allocated funds to complete a whole advertising/marketing strategy via social media, attend foreign trade shows, create digital and printed advertising materials, and create promotional giveaway items, which helped the supplier gain $3,074,000 in combined sales to these six markets. They also project to complete over $5.8M in sales in the next twelve months while gaining numerous new foreign buyer contacts and establishing new brick-and-mortar and online distributorships.
According to Matt Golladay, President of BrightPet nutrition group, Blackwood Pet Company’s parent company, “Food Export Association of the Midwest has been a tremendous asset to our company, providing experienced, hardworking staff to help guide, answer and fulfill our needs the best possible way. They are always willing to navigate any issues, trying to get the best outcome for us and our partners.”
Blackwood Pet Food, LLC is a family-operated producer of slow-cooked pet foods that balance nutrition and taste for happier and healthier dogs and cats. The company, started by Matt Golladay’s father over four decades ago, takes a slow cooking approach studied by Kansas State University when creating holistic nutrition recipes. Each small batch is slow cooked in the USA to ensure the utmost quality, and care goes into balancing the fiber, fat, and protein content of every bite.
Blackwood Pet Food, LLC has participated in Food Export programs since 2012, including the Branded Program, the Online Product Catalog, and webinars.
Food Export uses funding from the Market Access Program (MAP) to help America’s small businesses increase their exports of food and agricultural products. As these exports increase, these small businesses are creating jobs and improving the strength and stability of our agricultural economy. Food Export-Midwest and Food Export-Northeast are non-profit organizations that work in collaboration with their member state departments of agriculture and the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. They offer a wide range of programs and services that help boost America’s agricultural exports.
