Meat Mitch is a Kansas City-based BBQ company that offers high-quality, award-winning BBQ Sauces, rubs, and pre-smoked meats. Their team has used all of its products to win countless awards and competitions in the BBQ circuit.
The Mission Hills, Kansas supplier started exporting their products in 2016, and after meeting a Food Export Liaison at a trade show in 2018, they began participating in Food Export’s programs and services to expand their international brand awareness. Meat Mitch has attended several Food Export Buyers Missions and has used educational services such as Export Essentials and webinars.
The sauce and spice supplier has also participated in Food Export’s Market Access Program-funded Branded Program to increase product exports. In 2023, Meat Mitch participated in the program to gain brand awareness in Australia and Canada. The supplier used its funding to make country-compliant label/packaging modifications for both markets. At the program year-end, Meat Mitch reported gaining $70,000 in sales to Canada with program participation while projecting to complete $100,000 in sales over the next twelve months while gaining 3 new foreign buyer contacts and 1 new distributor.
Meat Mitch is already participating in the 2024 program hoping to expand on the built momentum of exports to the Canadian market.
Participating in Food Export-Midwest’s Branded Program has helped Meat Mitch gain new exports for their barbecue spices and sauces for the past four years. In 2020 the Market Access Program (MAP) funded program helped them increase exports to New Zealand. Using their allocated funding to attend the international event Meatstock helped the supplier increase brand awareness while also deferring costs associated with exhibiting at a major trade show.
With that buyer connection made over two years ago, last year Meat Mitch reported $4,000 in export sales to New Zealand, along with projected sales of $10,000 and 1 new earned distributor relationship. These results have helped them continue to establish their products and brand recognition in this market.
Also in 2022, Meat Mitch participated in Food Export-Midwest’s Branded Program for the second year to gain brand awareness in Canada. The sauce and spice supplier used their allocated funds to make label modifications which helped the Kansas company gain $10,000 in sales to Canada. They also project to complete over $20,000 in sales in the next twelve months while also gaining 1 new distributorship.
Meat Mitch is a competition winning barbecue team’s unique blend of spices and sauces. Their sauces and spice rubs are used in BBQ competitions throughout the United Sates and the world. The Kansas Company has participated in Food Export programs since 2018 taking advantage of the Branded Program, participating in the Online Product Catalog, Buyers Missions, Export Essentials, and educational webinars to grow their exports.
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.
