Food Export – Midwest Branded Program Continues to Help Expand Cheese Exports from Wisconsin
In 2021, Blue River Trading Company utilized Food Export – Midwest’s Branded Program to gain brand awareness for their cheese products in Japan. Using their allocated funds to attend trade shows, ship samples, and pursue marketing initiatives helped the West Allis, Wisconsin based supplier gain $40,000 in sales to Japan. They also project to complete over $100,000 in sales in the next twelve months while also gaining 12 new foreign buyer contacts and establishing 1 new distributorship. Their achievement in the Japanese market was followed up with further export success by exhibiting at FOODEX Japan while utilizing Food Export’s Food Show PLUS! services gaining $35,000 in sales with projected sales of $30,000 more over the next twelve months.
Blue River Trading Company is an independent export sales and marketing business focused on promoting U.S. agricultural products made by small and medium manufacturers with strong local brands. Established in 2009, Blue River Trading Company offers a wide variety of grocery items for both retail and food service industries. Product categories include a broad assortment of cheeses, cookies, crackers, canned soups and seafood, herbs and spices, sauces, condiments, cereals, grains, and more.
Blue River Trading Company has been heavily active in Food Export programs since 2012 utilizing the Branded Program, the Online Product Catalog, and the Export Advisor Program. They have attended multiple Buyers Mission and Focused Trade Missions. For the Export Advisor Program, Daniel Schmitt, owner of Blue River Trading Company, stated that while it is hard to see a direct connection between the services provided and the sales of the company, “The export advisor program is an excellent and highly informative service.”
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.
