Report Date: August 2018
As a result of displaying products and networking with prospective buyers at a major dairy industry conference in Mexico, a Wisconsin-based company has made inroads in a new foreign market.
The company was one of several Wisconsin-based companies participating in a trade mission that included exhibiting products at the CIGAL Dairy Conference (Conferencia Internacional sobre Ganada Lechero/International Dairy Conference on Dairy Cattle) in Guadalajara, Mexico in August 2018.
The trade mission was organized by the International Agribusiness Center, part of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), in conjunction with the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Attendance at CIGAL, the largest dairy cattle conference in Mexico, provided the Wisconsin companies with opportunities to learn more about market potential in Mexico, connect directly with producers and exporters, and network for long-term business partnerships.
In addition to attending CIGAL, trade mission participants also met with local and regional producers and business representatives, toured local dairy operations, and met with local representatives from the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service for market briefings.
Since attending the conference, the Wisconsin company has received – and shipped – two orders of its products.
In a letter to DATCP, company officials said: “Thank you very much for helping us build those relationships, and thank you to the Department of Agriculture for all their support and for investing time in companies like (ours). We highly appreciate it … Please let me know if you will be participating this year at CIGAL and other events in Mexico; we would love to continue growing our business in this country."
DATCP's International Agribusiness Center has been providing export assistance to Wisconsin's food and agriculture industry since 1966. Services include export education, market access support, and market development and promotion.